<b>MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS FOR MORPHOLOGICAL TRAITS OF <i>CYPERUS ROTUNDUS</i></b>
Q HAYAT, Zafar Ali, Muhammad Awais, MF SHAHEEN
Abstract
Cyperus rotundus is among the most damaging weed plants and a great threat to agricultural systems across the world. This work, therefore, sought to examine and describe the morphological characteristics of C. rotundus and assess its suitability in the various environments in ways that would explain its survival strategies. Samples were collected from three different locations of Pakistan's Punjab University's Faculty of Agriculture Sciences, Lahore. Specifically, the cross-sectional samples were rated according to seven morphological attributes: Leaf length, Leaf width, Area of leaf, stem height, fresh weight, dry weight, and moisture percent. Analysis of variance and correlation analysis were used to examine the significance of these traits. The study showed that characteristics such as leaf area, shoot height, fresh weight, and moisture percentage were significantly different, and this suggested that the plant had developed stress tolerance factors that enable it to cope with environmental stress factors. The morphological traits were also considered for their interconnectivity; moisture availability was positive with fresh weight. Further, using regression analysis, relationships with the growth factors under consideration were found to be rather low. As for management strategies, this research stresses that the density of C. rotundus should be managed more effectively, mainly due to its competitive abilities. The conclusion will be useful to design long-term control strategies for the management of this unpalatable weed to reduce its effect on improved agricultural production.