Study of infestation and harmfulness degree of weeds on fodder barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in an arid region (Laghouat-Algeria)
Abstract
37 floristic surveys were carried out in an arid region with the aim to study the degree of infestation and harmfulness of weeds on fodder barley carried out under irrigation. 36 weed species have been inventoried, they belong to 16 families, the most dominant of which are the Brassicaceae (22.2%), the Asteraceae (19.4%) and the Poaceae (13.8%). Dicotyledons are in the majority (86.2%) and Therophytes (67%) characterize this flora. The study of the Partial Harmfulness Index (PHI) revealed the existence of 19 species which are considered to be potentially harmful to fodder barley, 12 of which have a PHI greater than 1000. Thus, the perfect knowledge of the biology of weeds that potentially harmful and infesting could help to judiciously choose the adequate weed control interventions in order to optimize the profitability of the applications.