WEED SCIENCE RESEARCH IN MALAYSIA: ACHIEVEMENTS, CHALLENGES, RESEARCH GAPS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Abstract

Weeds are a severe impediment to agricultural output in Malaysia, notably for rice and plantation crops like oil palm and rubber. This review examines Malaysian weed science's achievements, difficulties, research gaps, and future directions. Weed flora documentation, herbicide-based systems, integrated weed management (IWM), and technologies like Clearfield® rice and UAV spraying have all made significant advances. However, issues like as herbicide resistance, invasive weeds, labor shortages, and herbicide overuse remain. Seed bank ecology, biological control, molecular resistance mechanisms, climate change consequences, and artificial intelligence-based weed identification all have research gaps. Future priorities include ecological weed control, precision agriculture, resistance monitoring, and improved extension services. Sustainable weed management is crucial for long-term agricultural output.