COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF DIVERSITY AND HOMOGENEITY OF WEED COMMUNITIES OF WHEAT CROP IN TEHSIL RAZAR DISTRICT SWABI, PAKISTAN
COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF DIVERSITY AND HOMOGENEITY OF WEED COMMUNITIES OF WHEAT CROP IN TEHSIL RAZAR DISTRICT SWABI, PAKISTAN
Maqsood Anwar, Shah Khalid and Naveed Akhtar1*
ABSTRACT
The present study explains comparative evaluation of diversity and degree of
homogeneity of weed communities of wheat crop. This study was conducted in tehsil
Razar district Swabi Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan during February-April 2016. A
total of 200 quadrats (square shaped) having size (1m × 1m) were placed in 20 randomly
selected wheat fields in the study area. Analytical quantitative characters like density,
frequency and cover were calculated for each weed species. Twenty weed communities were
established in 20 selected sites/stands. Comparative evaluation of diversity revealed
that Menhinick’s index ranged from 0.61 to 1.72, Margalef’s species richness index
ranged from 2.82 to 6.31, Simpson’s diversity index ranged from 0.78 to 0.94,
Shannon-Wiener diversity index varied from 2.13 to 3.24, Pielou’s evenness index
varied from 0.67 to 0.97 while maturity index ranged from 39.6 to 67.7. Based on
Raunkiaer’s law of frequency, out of 20 weed communities, 13 communities were found
heterogeneous, while, other 7 were homogeneous. Maximum numbers of weed species were
distributed in frequency class A, B and E. The heterogeneity of weed communities shows
that the area is under heavy biotic pressure. It was concluded that a variety of weed plants
infest wheat crop in the study area that may cause a loss to crop yield. For acquiring better
yield, it is necessary to take the appropriate chemical, mechanical and biological
measurements for weed control.
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September 2021
Vol. 27, Iss. 3, Pages 253-441
