An official with Iran’s Plant Protection Organization said over two million hectares of farmlands have been cleared off unwanted weeds in the current crop year.

“We are pursuing a constant battle against weeds, and so far 1,250,000 hectares of wheat, 650,000 hectares of rainfed wheat, and 110,000 hectares of rapeseed are under weed control,” Akbar Ahangaran said on Saturday.

He added that there’s more than one way to kill a weed, and farmers will need to employ multiple approaches as they look ahead to the 2023 growing season.

Weed control is a type of pest control, which attempts to stop or reduce growth of weeds, especially noxious weeds, with the aim of reducing their competition with desired flora and fauna including domesticated plants and livestock, and in natural settings preventing nonnative species competing with native species..

Weed control is important in agriculture. Methods include hand cultivation with hoes, powered cultivation with cultivators, smothering with mulch, lethal wilting with high heat, burning, and chemical control with herbicides (weed killers).