ARS | Publication request: Global climate change and carbon dioxide: Assessing weed biology and management

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: February 1, 2010
Publication Date: September 13, 2010
Citation: Ziska, L.H. 2010. Global climate change and carbon dioxide: Assessing weed biology and management. In: Hillel, D., Rosenzweig, C., editors. Handbook of Climate Change and Agroecosystems: Impacts, Adaptation, and Mitigation. Hackensack, NJ: World Scientific Publishing Co., Inc. p. 211-229.

Technical Abstract: Both increasing carbon dioxide and climate change are likely to alter weed biology in a myriad of ways. In this chapter, I provide an overview of the methodology by which rising carbon dioxide and climate uncertainty are likely to effect weed establishment, growth and fecundity, the implications for agriculture and for less intensively managed systems such as rangelands and forests, and the implications for weed management. In addition, I will present information on how these effects could be mitigated, for example by evaluating the potential for existing weeds to be used as biofuel, or by using weeds as a unique source of germplasm to begin to adapt crops to climate and carbon dioxide changes. Lastly, I identify the uncertainties and critical research needs associated with weed biology, carbon dioxide, and climate; including changes in the range and diversity of weedy species, future vulnerabilities in food production, and means that can improve weed management and control for the future.