International Research Journal of Biological Sciences ___________________________________ ISSN 2278-3202Vol. 1(4), 65-68, August (2012) I. Res. J. Biological Sci. International Science Congress Association 65 Short Communication Climbing Weeds of Agricultural Crops of District Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir, IndiaDangwal L.R. and Singh Amandeep* Herbarium and Plant Systematic Lab., H.N.B. Garhwal Central University, S.R.T. Campus, Badshahithaul, Tehri Garhwal, INDIAAvailable online at: www.isca.in Received 29th June 2012, revised 5th July 2012, accepted 31st July 2012Abstract The present study deals with climbing weeds associated with agricultural crops of district Rajouri (J&K). The study was based on extensive and intensive field surveys made during the period 2009-2011, in different months of Rabi and Kharif seasons. During the course of field study the authors have selected 4 important agricultural blocks in the district Rajouri i.e. Nowshera, Sunderbani, Kalakote and Thanamandi and 5 sites were selected in each block for the collection of climbing weeds. In this period the authors have reported a total of 22 climbing weeds belonging to 9 angiospermic families from both Rabi and Kharif crops of the selected sites. Out of 9 angiospermic families of climbing weeds the predominance was shown by family Convolvulaceae having 6 climbing weeds followed by family Fabaceae and Rubiaceae each represented by 4 climbing weeds. Key words: Climbing weeds, agricultural crops, rabi and kharif, yield. Introduction In the state Jammu and Kashmir district Rajouri is one of the most important agricultural district having 7 blocks. It is located at western part of Jammu division in the foot hill of Pirpanjal range between 32-58’ and 33-35’ latitude and 74-81’ longitude at an elevation range of 370 – 6000 msl. Covering an area of 2630 sq. km. Out of the seven blocks of district Rajouri Nowshera, Sunderbani, Kalakote and Thanamandi are impotant agricarian blocks. Wheat is the major Rabi crop but along with wheat, maize and rice are the major Kharif crops grown in these blocks. The per hectare yield of crops in this district is less as compared to other parts of India due to high weed infestations1. Although some work has been done in the field of ethno-botany, but yet no work has been done in the field of unwanted weeds of the study area. Weeds are the oldest problem in agriculture since about 10000 B.C. and have represented one of the main limiting factors in profitable crop productionThey are the most complex and serious problems in natural resource management. Weeds cause significant losses each year in the agriculture, forestry, aquaculture, water supply and a host of other human enterprises. They also affect the health and quality of life of people all over the world by causing allergies and other health hazards. Apart from quantitative losses caused by weeds due to competition for water, light, space, nutrients and to the antagonism (parasitism and allelopathy) they also cause qualitative indirect damage due to unitary seed reduction, contamination of seeds slowing of tillage and harvesting practices5-6They transmit bad smell or tastes to milk or dairy products. The climbing weeds are different from others because they possess special structures (tendrils hooks, twinning stem, twinning leaves etc.), which help them in climbing. Some of these weeds grow along with agricultural crops and competes for resources hence reduce their yield. These climbing weeds climb up and shaded the crop plants; they absorb maximum proportion of sunlight and resulted in their stunted growth. Once crop plants are shaded their growth as well as yield is reduced. Some of the climbing weeds like Cuscuta reflexa wrap itself around the crop plants and produces haustorium which absorbs water and the important nutrients from the vascular system of crop plants. The present study was conducted as first ever attempt from the study area to explore the climbing weeds that grows along with agricultural crops and competes for space, moisture, nutrients, Co, sunlight and shaded them. This study will also help in identifying the climbing weeds that infests the Rabi and Kharif crops of the study area and thus help in planning a suitable strategy for their control. Material and MethodsThe present communication pertains to climbing weeds associated with agricultural crops of district Rajouri (J&K). The study was based on extensive and intensive field trips made during different months of Rabi and Kharif crop seasons of 2009-2011. During the course of field study the authors have selected 04 important agricultural blocks in district Rajouri i.e. Nowshera, Sunderbani, Kalakote, Thanamandi and 05 sites were selected in each block for the study. Regular field trips were made once a month in each site for the collection of climbing International Research Journal of Biological Sciences ________________________________________________ISSN 2278-3202Vol. 1(4), 65-68, August (2012) I. Res. J. Biological Sci. International Science Congress Association 66 weeds and important field notes on flowering and fruiting season and their association with crops were reported. During this course the interviews were conducted from farmers and agriculturalists of each site about climbing weeds and their effect on agricultural crops. The collected weeds were pressed, dried, preserved and properly identified with the help of available literature and monographs8-10 and confirmed from the authentic regional herbaria at Botanical Survey of India, Northern Circle (BSD), Dehradun, Forest Research Institute Herbarium (DD), Dehradun and deposited them in the H.N.B.Garhwal Central University Herbarium, Department of Botany, S.R.T. Campus, Badshahithaul, Tehri Garhwal, Uttrakhand, India. Results and DiscussionDuring the study period the authors have reported a total of 22 climbing weeds belonging to 9 angiospermic families from both the Rabi and Kharif crops of the study area. Out of 9 families of climbing weeds reported from the selected sites thepredominance was shown by family Convolvulaceae having 6 climbing weeds followed by family Fabaceae and Rubiaceae each having 4 climbing weeds while the family Cucurbitaceae was represented by 3 climbing weeds. Each of the remaining families Asclepiadaceae, Cuscutaceae, Menispermaceae, Ranunculaceae and Sapindaceae were represented by 1 climbing weeds. District Rajouri is one of the hilly district of J&K state whose boundaries are attached to district Poonch in north, district Jammu in south, Udhampur in east and Mirpur (Pakistan) in the west. District Rajouri has two regions with characteristic topography and climate i.e. the temperate and sub-tropical. The temperate region comprising of the blocks Thanamandi, Darhal, Budhal and some part of Rajouri and sub-tropical region comprising of areas like Nowshera, Kalakote and Sunderbani. The economy of this district revolves around its agricultural crops but the per hectare yield of crops is less as compared to other parts of India due to heavy weed infestation. Weeds reduce the yield of wheat and maize crop by 25.35% and 30.61% respectively in the study area11-12. Some of the climbing weeds were growing along with agricultural crops and compete for resources. The climbing weeds like Lathyrus aphaca and Vicia sativa etc. possess thin wiry structures known as tendrils which when come in contact with crop plants curls around them forming a coil that allow them to climb up. The weed like Clematis montana possesses twinning leaves which help in climbing and the weeds like Gallium aparine and Gallium elegans etc. use hooks as a support for climbing while the weeds Ipomoea nil, Ipomoea purpurea, Ipomoea pes-tigridis and Ipomoea triloba contained twinning stem which twist around the crop plants and help them to climb up. Once these weeds climb up the crop plants they use maximum proportion of sun light and compete with them for recourses therefore, resulted in stunted growth, this ultimately affects the yield of agricultural crops. Apart from competition for resources the weeds like Ipomoea nil, Ipomoea purpurea and Ipomoea pes –tigridiscrawl around the maize plants and cover their canopy from all the sides. The vegetative growth of these weeds is so vigorous that whenever their weight become excess they breaks the crop plants and cause heavy loss of crops. The weed like Clematis montana and Ceropegia bulbosa were reported particularly from the maize fields near by the forests. However, some of the climbing weeds reported during the study period i.e.Ipomoea nil, Ipomoea purpurea and Ipomoea pes –tigridis, Lathyrus aphaca, Lathyrus sphaericus and Gallium aparine etc. are used as fodder for rearing the livestock. The weeds like Lathyrus aphaca, Vicia hirsuta and Vicia sativa are also used in some cooking recipes of the study area. Further research work is needed in the fields of weed control, weed biology and weed utilization as the component of integrated weed management. ConclusionThe conclusion is drawn on the basis of field study that the climbing weeds grows along with agricultural crops and compete for space, moisture, CO and nutrients in the early stages of competition, in the latter stages these weeds climb up with the help of special structures (tendrils hooks, twinning stem, twinning leaves etc.) on crop plants and absorb maximum proportion of sunlight thus resulted in their stunted growth, this ultimately affects the yield of agricultural crops. AcknowledgementThe authors are highly thankful to Chief Agriculture Officer Rajouri S. Manjeet Singh for providing financial assistance and important guidelines during the course of study. The contribution of Agriculture Extension Officers of each block is highly acknowledged. Authors are also thankful to farmers and agriculturists of the study area for sharing valuable information about climbing weed species with us. References 1.Dangwal L.R., Singh A., Singh T. and Sharma A., Diversity of weed species in wheat Fields of block Nowshera district Rajouri (J&K), Indian, J. Weed Science, 43(1 and 2), 94-96 (2011)2.Abdul R., Anand V.K. and Jawaid S., Less known wild edible plants used by Gujjar tribe of district Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir State India, International Journal of Botany, 4(2), 219-224 (2008)3.Avery D.T., Saving the planet with pesticides, Biotechnology, European Farm Reform, Proc. Brighton crop Prot. Conf. Weeds, , 3-18 (1997) 4.Handerson M. and Anderson J.G., Common Weeds of South Africa Memoirs of the Botanical Surveys of South Africa, N 37 Deptt., Agric, Tech., Svc Republic of South Africa (1996) International Research Journal of Biological Sciences ________________________________________________ISSN 2278-3202Vol. 1(4), 65-68, August (2012) I. Res. J. Biological Sci. International Science Congress Association 67 5.Anderson W.P., Weed Science, Principles, 2nd edition, West Publ. Company (1983)6.Asthon F.M. and Monaco T.J., Weed Sci. Principles and Practices, 3rd edition, John Wiley and Sons, New York (1991)7.King J. Lawerence, Weeds of the World- Biology and Control, Interscience, Publishers, inc. NewYork (1996)8.Sharma B.M. and Kachroo P., Flora of Jammu and plants of Neighbourhood, Bishen Singh, Mahendrapal Singh, Dehradun, India (1983)9.Kaul M.K., Weed flora of Kashmir Valley, Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany, (1986)10.Swami A. and Gupta B.K., Flora of Udhampur, Bishan Singh, Mahendrapal Singh, Dehradun, India (1998)11.Dangwal L.R., Singh A., Singh T. and Sharma C., Effects of weeds on the yield of wheat crop in tehsil Nowshera, Journal of American Science, 6(10), 405-407 (2010)12.Dangwal L.R., Singh A., Singh T. and Sharma A., Effect of weeds on the yield of maize crop in tehsil Nowshera district Rajouri J&K, International Journal of Current Research, 3(7), 68-70 (2011)Table-1 Showing Botanical names, Families, Flowering and Fruiting seasons and Association of climbing weeds S.No. Family Botanical Name Flowering & Fruiting Season Associated Crops 1. Asclepiadaceae Ceropegia bulbosa Roxb. Jun.-Jul. Maize 2. Convolvulaceae Convolvulus arvensis L.Sept.-Apr. Wheat Ipomoea eriocarpa R. BR.Jul.-Oct. Maize, Rice Ipomoea nil (L.) RothMar.-Dec. Maize, Rice Ipomoea pes-tigridis L.Jul.-Dec. Maize Ipomoea purpurea (L.) RothFeb.-Oct. Maize Ipomoea triloba L. Jul.-Dec. Maize 3. Cucurbitaceae Diplocyclos palmatus L.Aug.-Nov. Maize Momordica dioica Roxb.Aug.-Dec. Maize Trichosanthes cucumerina L.Jul.-Oct. Maize 4. Cuscutaceae Cuscuta reflexa Roxb.Jun.-Dec. Maize, Rice 5. Fabaceae Lathyrus aphaca L.Feb.-May Wheat Lathyrus sphaericus Retz.Apr.-May Wheat Vicia hirsuta (L.) S.F.GrayMar.-May. Wheat Vicia sativa (L.)Mar.-Oct. Wheat 6. Menispermaceae Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Hook.Feb.-Jul. Maize 7. Ranunculaceae Clematis montana Buch.Mar.-Aug. Maize 8. Rubiaceae Gallium aparine . Feb.-Aug. Wheat Gallium elegans Wallich.Jul.-Nov. Wheat Gallium vestium D.DonApr.-Sept. Wheat Rubia manjith RoxbJul.-Nov. Maize 9. Sapindaceae Cardiospermum halicacabum L.Jul.-Nov. Maize Figure-1 Vicia sativaFigure-2 Cuscuta reflexaFigure-3 Ipomoea triloba International Research Journal of Biological Sciences ________________________________________________ISSN 2278-3202Vol. 1(4), 65-68, August (2012) I. Res. J. Biological Sci. International Science Congress Association 68 Figure-4 Vicia hirsutaFigure-5 Convolvulus arvensisFigure-6 Lathyrus aphaca Figure-7 Ipomoea purpureaFigure-8 Ipomoea pes-tigridisFigure-9 Trichosanthes cucumerina Figure-10 Rubia manjithFigures-1-10 Some Important Photographs of Climbing Weeds showiing Assocationship with Crops