Wild vetch (ankri, Vicia sativa)
A tendril-climbing winter legume weed that scrambles over lentil and linseed, and whose flat seed contaminates the harvested grain.
- Type
- Broadleaf weed (annual legume, winter)
- Life cycle
- Annual; hard seed, persists in soil
- Spreads by
- Seed; contaminates lentil grain
- Main harm
- Climbs & competes; downgrades the harvested lot
Overview
Wild vetch (Vicia sativa), called ankri, akri or akra, is a common winter (rabi) weed of lentil, linseed, gram, pea, wheat and barley across north and central India. It is a scrambling annual legume with weak, angular stems, pinnate compound leaves that end in a branched tendril, 4–8 pairs of narrow leaflets with a small notch at the tip, and small pinkish-purple pea flowers borne singly or in pairs in the leaf axils. It climbs the crop using its tendrils and forms flat pods holding several nearly round, flattened seeds.
It hurts the crop two ways. In the field it competes for moisture, nitrogen, light and space, and — being a legume — thrives even on the poor, unfertilised land that linseed and lentil are usually grown on; a heavy stand scrambles over the crop and pulls it down, making it lodge and slowing the harvest. At market it is worse: its flat seed is almost the same size as lentil grain, is very hard to separate by ordinary cleaning, and a vetch-mixed lot is downgraded and discounted by buyers. Management is built on clean certified seed, roguing the weed out by hand before it sets pods, a competitive crop, and a pre-emergence herbicide.
How to identify it
- A scrambling winter annual legume with weak, angular, trailing stems that climb the crop.
- Pinnate compound leaves ending in a branched tendril, with 4–8 pairs of narrow leaflets notched at the tip.
- Small pinkish-purple pea flowers, borne singly or in pairs where the leaf meets the stem.
- Flat pods holding several nearly round, flattened seeds close in size to lentil grain.
Why it is a problem
- Competes with the crop for moisture, nitrogen, light and space, and as a legume thrives even on poor, unfertilised land.
- A heavy stand climbs over and pulls the crop down, causing lodging and making harvest slow and difficult.
- Its flat seed is almost the same size as lentil grain, is hard to clean out, and a vetch-mixed lot is discounted by buyers.
- Seeds prolifically, and the hard seed survives in the soil to come up again in later rabi crops.
- Spreads to new fields mainly as a contaminant in the crop seed sown.
Cultural & preventive control
- Start from clean, certified, vetch-free seed — contaminated seed is the main way it reaches a new field.
- Rogue out the vetch by hand while walking the crop, before it flowers and sets pods, so its seed never enters the lot.
- Grow a competitive, properly-spaced crop, and rotate lentil/linseed with a non-legume like wheat or mustard where vetch is bad, so a broadleaf herbicide can be used.
- Prevent seed set every season and keep field bunds clean to run down the soil seed bank.
- Clean the harvested produce well, and keep vetch-heavy lots separate from seed you intend to sow next year.
Herbicide control
- A pre-emergence herbicide such as pendimethalin within 2–3 days of sowing checks the early vetch flush during the crop's critical first 30–40 days.
- Selective post-emergence options in lentil and linseed are very limited and crop-safety is narrow — follow local recommendations and never spray an untested product over the standing pulse.
- In a wheat or mustard rotation break, a recommended broadleaf herbicide (e.g. 2,4-D or metsulfuron in wheat) clears vetch that a pulse crop cannot.
- Confirm the current herbicide, dose and timing for your crop with your local KVK.
Integrated management
- Combine clean seed, early hand-roguing before pod set, a competitive crop and a pre-emergence herbicide.
- Use the wheat or mustard year in the rotation to clean vetch out with a broadleaf herbicide.
- Prevent seed set and clean the produce so the weed neither builds in the soil nor travels in the grain.
Crops most at risk
Where this problem is called out in our crop guides — open a crop for the full package of practices.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climbing weed with purple flowers spreading through my lentil or linseed?
A scrambling winter legume with weak angular stems, compound leaves ending in a branched tendril, narrow notched leaflets and small pinkish-purple pea flowers is wild vetch (Vicia sativa), called ankri or akri. It climbs the crop and competes for moisture and nitrogen, and its flat seed contaminates the harvested lot. Control it with clean certified seed, hand-roguing before it sets pods, a competitive crop, and a pre-emergence herbicide such as pendimethalin.
Why does wild vetch lower the price of my lentil?
Because vetch seed is flat and almost the same size as a lentil grain, ordinary cleaning and sieving cannot separate it out well, so it stays mixed in the harvested lot. Buyers discount a vetch-mixed consignment because the mixture lowers the grade and the vetch seed carries bitter, anti-nutritional compounds. That is why it pays to rogue the weed out of the field by hand before it sets pods, rather than trying to clean it out of the grain afterwards.
How do I stop wild vetch coming back every rabi season?
Its hard seed survives in the soil for years, so the key is to stop it setting seed and to run the seed bank down. Rogue it out by hand before pods form, sow clean certified seed, and keep bunds clean. Where vetch is heavy, put a wheat or mustard year into the rotation so a broadleaf herbicide can clear it, since lentil and linseed have almost no safe selective spray against it. Over a few seasons of no seed set, the pressure falls.
Symptoms and control measures follow ICAR, KVK and state agricultural-university package-of-practices; any named chemical is a registered use. Always read the product label and confirm the dose for your crop and zone. editorial policy.