TITLE:
Weeds Associated to Habanero Pepper (Capsicum chinense Jacq.) in the Village of Muna, Yucatan, Mexico
AUTHORS:
Wilson Avilés-Baeza, Mónica Guadalupe Lozano-Contreras, Jorge H. Ramírez-Silva, Juan Jasso-Argumedo, Rubén Guerrero-Medina
KEYWORDS:
Host Weeds, Identification, Weed Taxonomy, Noxious Weeds
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.9 No.9,
September
30,
2022
ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to know the weed species associated with the cultivation of Habanero Pepper (HP) in the municipality of Muna Yucatan, Mexico that could help to define the best weeds management strategies for producers in the region. Weed collection was made in a lot where the HP was about to be grown. The weed species were identified one week before the establishment of the crop (Jaguar variety). For taxonomic identification of weeds, images of the adult plant with flowers, fruits and seeds were taken, supported with herbarium. The Importance Value Index (IVI) was calculated. Fourteen species predominated from which 85.7% were of the wide-leaf type and 14.3% were narrow ones. The most predominant species were: Euphorbia hyssopifolia (Euphorbiaceae), Megathyrsus maximus (Poaceae) and Parthenium hysterophorus (Asteraceae) with the highest IVI’s with 61.8%, 52.4%, 33.7% respectively. The appearance of weeds in lots of HP crop represents an important increase in the production costs. The identification of weed species represents a basic tool for an effective Weed Management Program.