WEED DISTRIBUTION IN POTATO FIELDS OF NAZIMABAD,TEHSIL GOJAL, GILGIT-BALTISTAN, PAKISTAN

A survey of ten random potato fields of Nazimabad Gojal (Gilgit- Baltistan) Pakistan was carried out in September, 2009 to identify density, frequency, importance value (IV) and frequency classes of weeds. A total of 24 weed species belonging to ten families were recorded. The most frequent families were found as: Chenopodiaceae 100%, Labiatae 85%, Asteraceae, Papillionaceae, Poaceae, and Polygonaceae each 80%, Caryophyllaceae 50%, Convolvulaceae and Brassicacea 45 and 15%, respectively in the quadrates of the study area. Among which four species of Asteraceae, Papillionaceae, Poaceae and Polygonacea, two species of Chenopodiaceae, Labiatae and one species each of Caryophyllaceae, Brassicaceae, Convulvoulaceae and Plantaginaceae were found. Chenopodium sp. had highest density with 19 m-2 followed by Chenopodium album L., Convolvulus arvensis L., Lamium amplexicaule and Fagopyrum tataricum (L.) Gaertn. with 4 m-2 each, and Prunella vulgaris and Setaria viridis L. with 3 m-2. Cicer sp., Pisum sp. had lowest density i.e. 0.1 of each and Medicago sp. had a density of 0.2 m-2. Frequency wise Chenopodium sp. had highest frequency (100) followed by Chenopodium album L. (75), Lamium amplexicaule (65), Medicago sativa, Setaria viridis L. Fagopyrum tataricum (60) each, and Sonchus arvensis L. and Artemesia sp. with 55 and 50 respectively. Chenopodium sp. and Chenopodium album had highest IV value of 47 and 17, respectively. Lamium amplexicaule L. and Fagopyrum tataricum had 15 each. Whereas, the IV of Setaria viridis (L.) P. Beauv. Medicago sativa and Sonchus arvensis L. was 13, 11 and 10 respectively. The lowest IV value was found in Medicago sp. (2), Cicer sp (1), Pisum sp. (1), and Eragrostis (1).