Impact of crop management practices and soil type of Hwedza communal area of Mashonaland East Province in Zimbabwe

The impact of crop management practices and soil type on weeds is only partially understood in Zimbabwe. A weed survey was carried out in Hwedza communal area of Mashonaland East Province in Zimbabwe during the 2014/2015 agricultural season to assess the impact of these factors on weeds. A questionnaire was administered to the farmers and soil samples were randomly collected from a 0.5m by 0.5m quadrat. We established that Richardia scabra, Bidens pilosa, Acanthospermum hispidum, Leucas martinsensis, Xanthium strumarium, Cyperus esculentus, Cynodon dactylon, Eleusine indica, Bulbostylis contexta and Commelina benghalensis were the most important weeds in that order. Soil type, current crop planted, fertilizer application, cattle manure application, tillage method and number of weeding events significantly impacted (p < 0.05) on weed emergence. New weed species that threatened crop and livestock production were Xanthium strumarium, Argemony mexicana, Tithonia rotundiflolia and Tribulis terrestris. It was therefore concluded that soil type and crop management practices such as current crop planted, fertilizer application, e and number of weedings have an impact on the total weed density while cattle manure application had a significant effect on weed diversity. Key words: Crop management practices, smallholder farmers, weed communities, weed surveys, Zimbabwe