Characteristics of cultural practice and weed community in adzuki bean fields in the south-west districts of Korea

Cultural practices for adzuki bean and the distribution of weed species in the south-west regions of Korea were surveyed to provide information on effective weed management. Approximately 27.5% of the farm households were growing adzuki bean in an area larger than 1 ha while the rest grew the crop in an area smaller than 1 ha. Of all adzuki bean growers, 17.1% seeded in early June, 8.6% in mid June, 34.3% in late June, 17.1% in early July, 20.0% in mid July, and 2.9% in late July. The average planting distance was $71.0{\times}29.5cm$. From the 40 surveys in adzuki bean fields, 35 weed species in 17 families were identified. According to the occurrence frequency, the dominant weed species were Digitaria sanguinalis, Acalypha australis, Cyperus amuricus, Echinochloa crus-galli, and Amaranthus nangostanus in decreasing order of dominance. However, based on dry weight, Chenopodium album (34.4%) was the most dominant followed by Acalypha australis (21.9%), Amaranthus nangostanus (19.1%), Digitaria sanguinalis (7.5%), and Portulaca oleracea (6.1%). The exotic weeds found in the field of adzuki were Ipomoea hederacea, Abutilon avicennae, and Celosia argentea. The plant heights of I. hederacea, A. avicennae, and C. argentea were 259 cm, 98 cm, and 76 cm, respectively, while the fresh weights were 850 g, 66 g, and 101 g, respectively. Integrated weed management systems utilizing mechanical, chemical, and biological control techniques need to be developed for effective weed management in adzuki bean production.