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Introduction – 2009 Alberta Weed Survey Project
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3.
Comparison of weed populations with information from dryland surveys will indicate problematic weeds
unique to irrigated land.
4.
Crop yield losses due to specific weeds can be estimated and these loss estimates can be used to establish the
economic costs.
5.
Weed survey data can provide an objective basis for developing ecologically and economically sustainable
strategies to manage agricultural weeds. The data are used to set research and education priorities, develop
recommendations, and design weed management strategies in the research, extension, and agri-business
communities.
6.
Targeting of increasingly scarce scientific resources requires objective information on the species compositions
and population densities of the weed communities that occur locally, regionally or provincially. Individual
species or groups of species can be targeted for attention by various agricultural agencies.
7.
Additional benefits of the weed survey will be realized when the results are combined with the information
gathered in the farm management questionnaire survey. The questionnaire survey will provide detailed
information on what farmers are doing to produce a crop. By combining the field and questionnaire survey
data, particular weed management practices that are important determinants of distinctive weed communities
can be determined.
8.
Relating trends in weed populations and communities to the use of specific agronomic and weed control
practices or to cropping systems will identify possible reasons that certain weeds have become more or less of a
problem on an ecoregion, crop, or provincial basis.
9.
Predicting shifts in weed populations and communities that might occur because of anticipated changes in
agronomic practices, weed control management, and agricultural policy will allow agricultural agencies to
develop weed management strategies that meet the future needs of farmers.