Aleppo millet is one of the world's most important weeds: it ranks 6th among the "World Worst Weeds". It was first discovered in Austria in 1972. At present, it is only important in some regions, but there it is already causing major problems, as shown by a survey of farmers conducted as part of the AgriWeedClim research project: 30% of the farms indicated a high level of control effort: Aleppo millet grows so tall that it can overgrow and suppress cultivated crops such as corn, soybeans or squash.

Aleppo millet prefers moist, nutrient-rich soil and a warm climate. Its rhizomes (earth shoots from which other plants develop) are not frost tolerant and freeze easily. The fewer frost days there are due to climate changes and the deeper the rhizomes penetrate the soil (> 20 cm), the greater the likelihood that they will survive, and thus new plants will emerge from them.