Weed control is the botanical component of pest control, which attempts to stop weeds, especially noxious or injurious weeds, from competing with domesticated plants and livestock. Many strategies have been developed in order to contain these plants. The original strategy was manual removal including ploughing, which can cut the roots of weeds. More recent approaches include herbicides (chemical weed killers) and reducing stocks by burning and/or pulverizing seeds. A plant is often termed a “weed” when it has one or more of the following characteristics: Little or no value (as in medicinal, material, nutritional or energy) Rapid growth and/or ease of germination Competitive with crops for space, light, water and nutrients