Abstract

Author:
Alisha Adhikari, Bharat Adhikari, Abhishek Pokhrel

Doi: 10.26480/jwbm.01.2026.44.49

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Weeds are major biological constraints to agricultural productivity, causing significant yield losses by competing with crops for water, nutrients, light and space. Although chemical herbicides provide quick and effective control, their excessive use has resulted in environmental pollution, herbicide resistance, health risks and biodiversity loss. Consequently, physical weed control methods have gained importance, particularly within Integrated Weed Management (IWM) and organic farming systems. This paper reviews key physical methods, including burning, flaming, soil steaming, soil solarization and mulching and discusses their mechanisms, advantages, disadvantages and practical applications. Burning and flaming use heat to destroy weed plants and reduce the soil seed bank. Soil steaming and solarization increase soil temperature to levels lethal to weed seeds and soil-borne pathogens. Mulching suppresses weed growth by blocking light and modifying soil microclimatic conditions. These approaches reduce reliance on chemical herbicides and help minimize pesticide residues in soil and water. However, their broader adoption is constrained by high labor requirements, energy consumption, environmental concerns such as smoke emission and plastic waste and substantial initial investment costs. Despite these limitations, physical weed control methods contribute significantly to sustainable agriculture, especially in high-value and organic cropping systems and are most effective when integrated with cultural and biological practices.