INDICATOR SPECIES ANALYSES OF WEED COMMUNITIES OF MAIZE CROP IN DISTRICT MARDAN, PAKISTAN

Weeds are unwanted plant species growing in natural environment. Composition and abundance of weeds are influenced by number of environmental variables as well as farming practices in an ecosystem. Present study was formulated to measure the effect of environmental variables on weed species composition, abundance, distribution pattern and formation of various weeds communities in Union Council Shahbaz Ghari (total area 3956 ha, Agriculture land 1701 ha), District Mardan. Quantitative ecological techniques by adapting quadrat method were used to assess environmental variability and weed species distribution in the targeted region. Nine quadrats of 1×1 m^2 size were placed randomly in 65 different fields of the UC. Phytosociological attributes such as density, frequency, relative density, relative frequency and Importance Values were measured for each field. Preliminary results showed that UC Shahbaz Ghari has 29 different weed species belong to 15 different families. Presence absence (1,0) data of 29 species and 65 fields were analyzed using Cluster and Two Way Cluster Analysesvia PC-ORD version 5 resulting four major weed communities. Dominant weed species of the area are Cyperus rotundus, Urochloa panicoides, Brachiaria ramosa, Dactyloctenium aegyptium, Commelina benghalensis and Canvolvulus arvensis while Cannabis sativa, Ipomea purpurea, Amaranthus blitoides, Xanthium strumarium, Lactuca dissecta and Cucurbita maxima are rare weed species. Indicator Species Analyses (ISA) of data identified indicators of each sort of micro environmental condition. Based on our findings, it is recommended that awareness can be created among farmers especially about their farming practices to minimize noxious weeds of maize crop.