Ecological Weed Management in Sustainable and Climate-resilient Agriculture: Focusing on Strategies, Mechanisms and Research Needs

Abstract

Ecological weed management offers a sustainable alternative to conventional weed control by emphasizing prevention, diversification, and ecosystem-based suppression rather than reliance on single, curative interventions. This review systematically synthesizes evidence from peer-reviewed literature to evaluate ecological weed management strategies and their underlying ecological mechanisms. The literature shows that these practices suppress weed emergence and growth by reducing resource availability, disrupting weed life cycles, enhancing crop competitiveness, and lowering weed seedbank replenishment. A structured literature review approach was applied, drawing on studies retrieved from major academic databases, although the search was primarily narrative in nature. In addition to improving weed control, ecological strategies contribute to soil health, biodiversity conservation, reduced carbon emissions, lower energy use, and greater resilience under climate variability. The review covers literature published over recent decades, although an exact time frame and number of studies are not explicitly quantified. Although herbicides may still have a role in targeted situations, the review indicates that their judicious and complementary use within integrated systems is more sustainable than dependence on chemical control alone. Unlike previous reviews that focus mainly on individual practices, this study provides a broader synthesis of ecological mechanisms, system-level interactions and sustainability outcomes. Overall, ecological weed management provides a practical framework for developing productive, climate-resilient, and environmentally sound cropping systems.