Weeds and invasive plants pose a significant threat to global food security and represent a major obstacle to the expansion of organic farming. They compete with crops for water, nutrients, and light, and can even disrupt shared mutualistic relationships, such as pollination, ultimately reducing crop yields more than any other type of pest. In natural habitats, they outcompete native vegetation, leading to a decline in biodiversity.
For decades, chemical herbicides have been the primary method of weed control, accounting for ~75% of total pesticide use in the U.S. However, heavy reliance on herbicides has led to a range of environmental and health concerns, as well as the evolution of herbicide resistance in 273 weed species across 101 crops in 75 countries as of today.
In this Science Talk, Dr. Mesgaran, Lead of Ecological Modeling and Food Security, will showcase his work on integrating weed ecology, biology, modeling, artificial intelligence (AI), and advanced technologies to develop eco-tech solutions for ecological weed management—an approach he refers to as “Weed 4.0” in the wake of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, where digital and physical technologies merge to drive agricultural advancements.
Dr. Mesgaran’s talk will delve into groundbreaking research, exploring weed reproductive strategies—such as altering weed sex and using sterile pollen and drones to suppress seed production—alongside the application of AI and Google Street View for large-scale invasive weed detection across 135,000 kilometers of roads in the western U.S. He will also showcase recent advancements in precision technologies for both chemical and non-chemical weed control.
Speaker
Dr. Mohsen Mesgaran
Lead, Ecological Modeling and Food Security
