Common Weeds in Saudi Arabia

Agriculture was one of the priority areas where the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had invested millions of Riyals as part of its development program. Although the cultivation of new crops and the use of modern technology and equipments in agriculture fields have started only in recent decades, as in the case other parts of the world, cultivation is not new to Saudi Arabia too. Middle East in general and southern parts of Arabian Peninsula and East Africa in particular are widely regarded as one of the centers of origin of several crops, cereals and millets. Mountainous regions of Arabian Peninsula have a long history of cultivating Sorghum, Maize, Coffee, etc. for more than 3000 years or so. Hence the problems and challenges of cultivation, particularly of weeds in agriculture fields is as old as the history of cultivation, though the magnitude of problems of those days was significantly less compared to the problems that farmers face in recent decades.

Weeds may be annuals, biennials or perennials. They may be autotrophic, parasites or semi-parasites, competing with crops for space, food and light. Economic losses due to weed problems vary from country to country and from region to region and are estimated to be millions of dollars in countries such as USA and several countries in Europe. Weed eradication is one of the major tasks that farmers face in the present century. Weeds are usually not crop specific. Some of the weeds are noxious and are difficult to eradicate. They may be native or exotic, accidentally imported as contaminants. Timely eradication, especially removing weeds prior to the production of flowers or seeds is one of the best ways to remove weeds from the field. In a desert country like Saudi Arabia, encroachment of native wild species from desert habitats to a more adaptable or irrigated land is a common practice. However, not all wild species can be found in agriculture fields. Species with non-dormancy seeds and can produce flowers and seeds throughout the year will establish in agriculture fields. A checklist of weedy species found in the agriculture fields of Saudi Arabia is listed below.