Abstract:
This book has been a long-felt need by agriculturalists in
Ethiopia. It is one of the products from the FAO Weed
Management Project (TCP/ETH/4532), operating from mid-1986
through 1987.
In order for extensionists, researchers, and farm managers to
control weeds, they must first be able to identify them,
particularly when using herbicides. This book covers 107 main
species and gives descriptions of an additional 56 related
species. It was a difficult job choosing which species to
include, as Ethiopia is a large and diverse country. The
species were chosen on the basis of their frequency of
occurrence (in surveys, reports, observations, herbarium
collections, etc.), their seriousness as pests, and their
family representativeness for Ethiopian conditions.
The information on distribution for each species was obtained
from various reports and herbarium collections. It is by no
means complete, but should give a general idea and can be
augmented in the future. The distribution codes refer to the
map in the front of the book.
The local names were taken from numerous sources, including
interviews with farmers (see reference section). This is also
not complete and may, in some cases, be in error as the names
are varied and difficult to verify. There are certainly many
more names which are not included due to the extreme
diversity from area to area, even within one given language.
Where no heading occurs, the information was not found by the
authors. It is hoped that this book shall assist those in the field in
plant and weed identification.
