They can also host crop pests such as aphids, fungal rots and viruses.
[1][2] Cost increases and yield losses occur as a result.
Striga, one of the main cereal crop weeds in Sub-Saharan Africa, commonly causes yield losses of 40–100% and accounts for around $7 billion in losses annually.
Around 100 million hectares of land in Sub-Saharan Africa are affected by striga.
[4] Examples of crop weeds include chickweed, barnyard grass, dandelion, striga and Japanese knotweed.