Benefit of herbicides

Herbicides were developed in the western world primarily to overcome shortage of farm labour for weeding crops. The benefits are:

a) Herbicides can be used where physical weeding is not possible.

b) From very beginning even before they emerge from the soil, weed can be controlled by using herbicides.

c) Herbicides can kill many weeds that survive by mimicry, e.g. Wild oat in wheat field.

d) They are convenient to use on spiny weeds which cannot removed manually.

e) Herbicides can kill weeds insitu without permitting their dissemination.

f) Lower cost of farm produce.

Limitation of herbicides

a) Lack of technical know-how

b) Environmental pollution.

c) Variety of herbicides needed to control weeds.

d) Required considerable skill on the part of the users.

e) Possibility of crop injury.

f) Military use of herbicides is a greatest misfortune of their discovery because of possible hazards to human, animals, soil and environment.

g) Development of resistance on the part of weeds.