A Review on Manual Intra Weeders for Field Crops

Weeds are one of the major constraints limiting agricultural productivity due to their rapid growth and competition with crops for nutrients, sunlight, water, and space. Effective weed control is therefore essential for improving crop yield, reducing production losses, and ensuring sustainable farm management. This review summarizes the different categories of weeders-manual, manually drawn, mechanical, inter-row, and intra-row and highlights their working principles, advantages, and limitations. Traditional hand tools such as the hoe, sickle, hand fork, and grubber weeder continue to play a crucial role in small-scale farming, while manual drawn weeders like wheel hoes and cono weeders offer improved efficiency and reduced drudgery. Mechanized solutions, including rotary weeders, power weeders, rotavators, and tractor-mounted cultivators, enable faster and more uniform weed removal across larger areas. Recent advancements focus on ergonomics, precision navigation, and automation through machine vision, robotics, and solar-powered systems. Together, these technologies contribute to sustainable weed management by reducing labor demand, minimizing herbicide dependence, and enhancing overall field efficiency. The review places special emphasis on manual intra-row weeders used in field crops due to their importance in small-scale and sustainable farming systems.