The Future Of Weed Management

According to agronomy expert Leonard Oberholzer, weeds’ resistance to herbicides is expected to be one of the greatest threats to food production in years to come.

- Sabrina Dean

If farming is the most ancient occupation on the planet, then weeding definitely comes second, says Leonard Oberholzer, head of technology development and agronomy at Bayer Crop Science.

Speaking at a combined congress of soil, weed, horticulture and crop production societies earlier this year, Oberholzer outlined what the future of weed management might entail as farmers sought to employ new techniques in response to a fast-evolving challenge.

According to Oberholzer, the change from hand weeding to chemical control, especially in developing countries, is one of the factors driving so-called weed shifts. This is when the relative populations of weed species in an area change, particularly when some species are more susceptible to a herbicide and others are more tolerant of it. The latter grow in number at the expense of the former.

POPULATION GROWTH AND AGRI PRODUCTION

Oberholzer points out that only about 3% of the world’s surface area is available to grow food.

The year 2050 is often used as a benchmark in discussions about projected population growth and the subsequent increase in demand for food. The global population, which is currently about 6,7 billion, could expand to 10 billion people by that year. As a result, says Oberholzer, food production will have to double over the next three decades.

He also highlights the key global risks listed by role players at the World Economic Forum in terms of their potential impact and the likelihood that they will occur. Currently, the two greatest risks are extreme weather conditions, and climate change mitigation and adaptation. Both, of course, are closely linked to agriculture and food production.