Does weed diversity mitigate yield losses?

While intensive control of weed populations plays a central role in current agriculture, numerous studies highlight the multifaceted contribution of weeds to the functionality and resilience of agroecosystems. Recent research indicates that increased evenness within weed communities may mitigate yield losses in contrast to communities characterized by lower diversity, since weed species that strongly affect crop yields, also dominate weed communities, with a concurrent reduction of evenness. If confirmed, this observation would suggest a paradigm shift in weed management towards promoting higher community diversity.