Understanding Strategic Weed Management in Direct Seeded Rice - A Review

Transplanting in puddled soils (intensive tillage in ponded conditions) with continuous flooding is the most common method of rice crop establishment in Asia. However, the most important problem associated with transplanted rice is that change in soil aggregates and development of hardpan below the soil surface caused due to flooding and puddling, which is not desirable for following wheat crop. Although, this is advantageous for effective weed control in the transplanted rice field. The technique of flooding the field with water is not only very laborious, tidy, and cumbersome but also very expensive, and time-consuming. The direct seeding of rice seems to be the only viable alternative to liberate farmers. However, weeds are the main biological constraint in DSR. Weed problems associated with DSR (direct seeded rice) have been explained in this review paper and also the strategies to develop for weed management in DSR. In this effort the chapter has been covered by elaborating the techniques of prevention, land preparation, effect of sowing time on weed dynamics, impact of planting density on weed dynamics, impact of row spacing, mechanical weed control, nutrient management, water management, chemical weed control and integrated weed management in context to DSR with a view to achieve enhanced rice yield similar to that under transplant condition.