FLORISTIC COMPOSITION AND LIFE FORM SPECTRA OF WEED FLORA IN WHEAT, MAIZE AND POTATO CROP FIELDS OF TEHSIL TOBA TEK SINGH, PUNJAB, PAKISTAN
FLORISTIC COMPOSITION AND LIFE FORM SPECTRA OF WEED FLORA IN WHEAT, MAIZE AND POTATO CROP FIELDS OF TEHSIL TOBA TEK SINGH, PUNJAB, PAKISTAN
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46662/plantarum.v6i2.118Abstract
The present research work was carried out in Tehsil Toba Tek Singh to evaluate the pattern of ecological prevalence of weeds of
wheat, maize and potato crop fields. Sampling was conducted randomly using the quadrat method, with each quadrat measuring
1m2
. A total of sixty quadrats were sampled for each crop, consisting of twenty quadrats from each selected site. Data collection
occurred every fifteen days throughout the crop cycle. The Importance Value Index (IVI) was determined by calculating the
percentage frequency, density, and percentage cover of the weed species. Total fifty one weed species belonging to 18 families
were recorded. Euphorbia helioscopia (Euphorbiaceae) had the highest IVI value of 15.8% and Chenopodium album
(Chenopodiaceae) had the lowest IVI of value 0.54%. Family Poaceae (13 species), Asteraceae (7 species), Amaranthaceae (5
species) and Euphorbiaceae (4 species) were the important families having maximum number of species. Family Chenopodiaceae
and Solanaceae had 3 species each, Polygonaceae, Cucurbitaceae and Cyperaceae had 2 species each, and Aizoaceae,
Convolvulaceae, Lamiaceae, Primulaceae, Verbenaceae, Brassicaceae, Borginaceae, leguminosae and Zygophylaceae had only 1
species each. Amaranthus viridus, Conyza ambigua, Parthenium hysterophorus, Sonchus asper, Coronopus didymus, Convolvulus
arvensis, Euphorbia prostrata, Cynodon dactylon and Saccharum spontaneum were the only nine weed species found in all three
crop fields of wheat, maize and potato with IVI values of 4.21%, 4.31%, 4.58%, 1.12%, 3.59%, 7.68%, 4.87%, 14.8% and 7.14%
respectively and prominent life form classes were therophytes (68%), hemicryptophytes (30%) and Phanerophytes (2%).