Herbicides are the "state-of-the-art" for weed management tactics. Herbicides have revolutionized crop production as well as other related areas of weed management. Herbicides have significantly lowered the cost of crop production, significantly increased the efficiency of crop production, provided a tool providing fundamental new insights into weed biology, adaptation, genetics, biochemistry, and physiology. Herbicides have accelerated the trend in this century to farm more acres with less labor. Herbicides have significantly lowered the risks involved in crop production. Herbicides have provided many new jobs in many countries around the world. Herbicides have improved human health by reducing weed pollen and plant hosts of diseases and insects interfering with crop production.
Anyone that remembers how weed control was done before herbicides were available knows the incredible impact and amazing advantages these chemicals have provided to the human race.
Herbicides have also been the source of problems. Environmental contamination (air,
surface & ground water, soil, etc.) has been caused by these agricultural chemicals.
Herbicides have selected for herbicide resistant weeds and other selections and
adaptations within weed populations leading to population shifts. Herbicides have been the
source of animal & human health problems. Herbicides have been a contributing factor
in simplification of our crop management systems, allowing unexpected problems to arise
from that simplification.
The two best ways to learn herbicides is by chemical family and by injury symptomology:
