The University of Agriculture, Peshawar,Pakistan

Weed Science Department is the first of its kind in the country to accept the challenge of combating weeds menace on scientific footings. In light of the recommendations of the TIPAN and APR-II teams and Weed Science Society of Pakistan, The University of Agriculture Peshawar emerged as a pioneer to initiate a separate full-fledged Weed Science Department among the galaxy of its Departments in the year 2000. The major areas of studies are weed management in major agronomic and horticultural crops, Weed Ecology and Biology, Herbicide Physiology, Herbicide Resistance, Biodiversity, Ethnobotany, Allepopathy, aquatic weeds, parasitic weeds and Invasive weeds.

Dr. Muhammad Azim Khan, Associate Professor, is currently serving as the Chairman of the department. Since its inception in 2000, the department has made a number of great achievements. By the year 2018, the department has produced 15 PhDs. Every faculty member of the department is now a PhD doctor; some of them got PhD degrees from Australia and Japan. The senior faculty has done post-doctorate from Canada, Japan, China, and UAE. One of the unique features of the department is that its faculty members have visited around 30 countries in the world by participating in international conferences, attending training courses, working in collaborative projects, etc. The Department has been the host for International Weed Science Conference 2003, 6th National Weed Science Conference 2005, 2nd International Weed Science Conference 2006 and 8th National Weed Science Conference 2007 in collaboration with Weed Science Society of Pakistan.

The department has got national and international recognition where both students and faculty enjoy the benefits of mutual collaboration including 22nd Asian Pacific Weed Science Society (APWSS) Conference, March 2010, 3rd international weed science conference April 2011, 4th international weed science conference April 2012, and 5th International and 12th National Weed Science Conference, June 2015, and 13th National weed science conference August 2016.

Collaboration with national and international organizations:
The department of Weed Science has strong collaborations in research, academics and student exchange programs. The following are such various universities/institutes,

The University of Queensland, Australia
Charles Sturt University, Australia
The Ohio State University, USA
Tsucuba University, Japan
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Alberta, Canada

Labs:
The department has got a well-established and well equipped computer lab in addition to other labs equipped with growth chambers, chlorophyll meter, leaf area meter, etc. for graduate research students.

Job Opportunities:
The graduates of Weed Science after clinching their degrees may be recruited in a number of national and international institutions/organizations some of which are given below,

Any Agricultural University in the country and abroad
Agriculture Research System, Govt. of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Agriculture Extension department, Govt. of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
PARC Islamabad
NARC Islamabad
Pesticide Companies
Plant quarantin
WWF
IUCN
Tobacco Companies
NGOs and other private national and international organizations

Publications:
Since its inception, the department faculty has The teaching faculty of the department in the last 15 years has collectively published more than 100 articles in well reputed HEC recognized worldwide impact factor/non-impact factor national and international journals. The following are a few well reputed impact factor journals where the faculty has published their research manuscripts.

Weed Research (Published by European Weed Research Society)
Weed Technology (Published by Weed Science Society of America)
Weed Biology and Management (Published by Weed Science Society of Japan)
Weed Science, USA
Agronomy Journal, USA
Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
Journal of Animal and Plant Science
Pakistan Journal of Botany
Sains Malaysiana
Bangladesh Journal of Pharmacology
Journal of Ethnopharmacology
Pakistan Journal of Agricultural Sciences
Pakistan Journal of Zoology

Research Projects:
The department faculty has been competent enough to earn more than a dozen research projects from various Federal funding agencies like Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF), Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) etc. out of which some have been successfully completed. Currently, seven research projects are in progress which are collectively worth Rs. 30 million. All the graduate students are employed in these projects who are earning along with their academic achievements. The following are the titles of the said projects:

Weed Science Dormancy sponsored by PARC under ALP.
Management of Parasitic Weed sponsored by PARC under ALP.
Integrated Weed Management in Wheat sponsored by Pakistan Science Foundation, Islamabad.
Studies on Biology, Ecology and Management of Wild Oats sponsored by HEC, Islamabad.
Integrated Weed Management in Chickpea sponsored by Pakistan Science Foundation, Islamabad.
International linkage project on Parthenium, among the department of Weed Science, Department of Mycology and Plant Pathology, Punjab University and the University of Queensland, Australia.
Integrated weed management in chickpea in southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
International linkages project on parthenium with Queensland University Australia.
Prediction of grain yield losses and implication for economic weed management in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, worth Rs. 5.70 millions.
Integrated management of Trianthema portulacastrum in maize grown for grain and forage purpose in rainfed and irrigated areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, worth Rs. 1.5 millions.
An approach to non chemical and eco friendly weed management in maize, worth Rs 3.0 million
Soil solarization a non chemical weed management approach in cash crops, worth Rs. 0.2 million
Soil fertility and economic benefits of maize legume intercropping and weed suppression by inter-row cultivation, worth Rs. 0.913 millions.
Environment Friendly Weed Management in Vegetables, worth Rs. 2.17 millions.
Studies on estimation and exploitation of allelopathic potential found in different weeds infesting field crops in KP Pakistan, worth Rs. 3.81 millions.
Management of aquatic weeds in the irrigated plains of KPK. An HEC funded Project, worth Rs. 3.568 millions.
Weed seed bank studies in wheat and maize growing areas of KPK for sustainable weed management and soil fertility, worth Rs. 3.9 millions.