DIVERSITY, DISTRIBUTION AND ECOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE OF WEEDS IN THE MAIZE CROP AT MAIDAN VALLEY, DIR (L), KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA, PAKISTAN

The present studywas conducted to investigate different weeds of maize (Zea mays L.) and their uses and distribution from 10 different localities i.e. Bagh, Chinarkot, Daro, Dokary, Hayaseri, Kaladog, Kotkay, Lal Qilla, Manial and Mulayano Banda of Maidan valley, District Dir, Pakistan. Forty six weeds species belonging to 22 families were found in maize crop. The dominant family was Poaceae having 7 species, followed by Amaranthaceae with 6 species, Asteraceae 5 species, Cyperaceae, Lamiaceae and Solanaceae with 3 species each, Chenopodiaceae, Fabaceae and Polygonaceae with 2 species each and remaining 13 families with one species each. On the basis of leaf size spectra 20 species (43.34 %) were Microphylls, 15 species (32.60%) Nanophylls, 6 species (13.04%) Leptophylls and 5 species (10.86 %) Mesophylls. The life form showed that there are 23 species (50%) of Therophytes, 11 species (23.91%) of Geophytes and Hemicryptophytes and 1 species (2.17%) was Chamaephyte.