Herbology

Weed ecology

Weeds may significantly reduce quantity and quality of crop yield depending on agricultural management practices and edaphoclimatic conditions. However, weeds may also be beneficial for agriculture by e. g. reducing erosion, and facilitating pest control by providing food for their natural enemies thereby reducing the need for external inputs like pesticides. This research group focuses on investigating the effects of different management practices on weed communities, differentiating between noxious and neutral weeds. Furthermore, we investigate the potential of weed communities which build the basis for above- and below-ground trophic networks for the provision of multiple ecosystem services including sustainable agricultural production. 

Current research is investigating how detection dogs and AI-based computer vision methods can be used for the reliable and fast identification of toxic weeds in medicinal and spice crops.

contact: Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn. Winter Silvia (location Vienna)