IDENTIFICATION OF COMMON WEEDS AND ITS DISTRIBUTION PATTERN IN WHEAT FIELDS OF FR BANNU, KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA, PAKISTAN

Identification of weeds is a prerequisite for an effective weed management strategy in an area. In a preliminary study in this regard, ninety three species of 82 genera belonging to 34 families were identified as weeds of wheat fields of FR Bannu. The surveys were conducted during 2009-10 in district Bannu. Out of the 34 weed families, there were four monocot families (having 13 genera 14 species) and 30 families were dicots (including 69 genera 79 species). The most important family in terms of abundance and most number of species infesting wheat crop was Asteraceae with 13 genera and 15 species; followed by Poaceae (10 genera 11 species), Papilionaceae (7 genera 7 species), Boraginaceae (4 genera 6 species), Brassicacaeae (6 genera 6 species), Amaranthaceae (3 genera 4 species), Polygonaceae (3 genera 4 species), Solanaceae (4 genera 4 species), Euphorbiaceae (1 genus 3 species), Zygophyllaceae (3 genera 3 species), Apiaceae (2 genera 3 species), Caryophyllaceae (2 genera 2 species), Chenopodiaceae (2 genera 2 species), Convolvulaceae (1 genus 2 species), Cucurbitaceae (2 genera 2 species), Plantaginaceae (1 genus 2 species). The rest of the families were represented by only one species each. According to the oosting scale, Cynodon dactylon was the most abundant weed species in wheat fields followed by Asphodelus tenuifolius, Astragalus hamosus, Convolvulus arvensis, Euphorbia oblongata, Euphorbia helioscopia, Psammogeton biternatum, Silene vulgaris and Trigonella corniculata which were reported as significantly reducing wheat yields in the locality.