LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP)--New Mexico State University has a website meant to help New Mexicans identify invasive weeds.

The website contains 122 of the most common weeds, but NMSU officials expect that number to double by the end of 2006.

Mark Renz, a weed specialist with NMSU's Cooperative Extension Service, said it's the first time the problem has been tackled in New Mexico using an Internet base. The site was unveiled Nov. 18 at a conference in Albuquerque.

Controlling weeds is crucial to agriculture because weeds can reduce the forage available for livestock. Homeowners also are bothered by the plant pests.

The website allows people to identify a weed by answering questions about its characteristics.

They first decide whether the plant is a cactus, a woody plant, a vine, forb or grass, then narrow the search by answering questions about leaf arrangement, color of flowers and the like. The more information provided, the more focused the computer search.

The computer lists potential candidates that fit the criteria--or identifies an exact weed if there's enough information.

"Identifying the right weed is a critical step in any management process," said Jill Schroeder, an associate professor in NMSU's plant entomology, plant pathology and weed science department. "You have to know what you're dealing with because control is species-specific."

Once a specific weed is identified, people can contact an Extension Service expert or use the Internet to find out how to control it.

NMSU also will have weed management and biology publications available on the site, along with information that might help control weeds.