A weed identification guide for farmers and extension workers in the upland cropping systems of Cambodia. Sponsored by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, the NSW Department of Primary Industries, and the Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute. This book is part of a series of publications produced by ACIAR in support of the on-going rollout of on-farm demonstrations for upland crops in Cambodia.

Crops are subject to attack from a wide range of insect species in the wet tropical environment of Cambodia, resulting in extensive damage and economic losses. This illustrated field guide will assist with the identification of the major insect pests of the main upland crops in Cambodia - cowpea, maize, mung bean, peanut, sesame and soybean. However, not all insects found in the crops are pests; some insects and spiders play a significant role in keeping the insect pests under control. The guide provides a brief description of insect pests and the damage they cause, as well as information on a range of beneficial insects and spiders that can be found in upland crops in Cambodia. The impact of beneficial insects can be increased by integrated pest management and careful use of pesticides.

The purpose of this book is to help extension workers and farmers to identify plants that are weeds or are considered to have the potential to become weeds in the upland cropping systems of Cambodia. Not all of the plants included are currently regarded as weeds, and many of them have useful purposes. However, with changing agricultural practices such as reduced or zero tillage, plant species currently controlled by ploughing could become weeds. These include perennial species and those with underground stems and rhizomes. Some important species known to be weeds of upland crops have not been included in this volume because of our inability to identify them or to obtain suitable photographic images. These will be included in a future revised edition.