Occurrence Characteristics of Weed Flora by Regions and Agro-Climatic Zonal in Paddy Fields of Korea

. Ninety species belonging to 28 families of weeds were identified in Korean rice fields. They were divided by eight provinces and 19 agro-climatic zones to be used as basic data of weed control. Looking at the regional weed occurrence, there were 52 species of 20 families in Gyeonggi, 37 species of 17 families in Gangwon, 41 species of 15 families in Chungbuk, 21 species of 12 families in Chungnam, 24 species of 13 families in Jeonbuk, 54 species of 21 families in Chonnam, 36 species of 20 families in Gyeongbuk, and 32 species of 16 families in Gyeongnam province, respectively. The most dominant family was Poaceae followed by Cyperaceae and Asteraceae. Mostly dominant species were Echinochloa spp., Monochoria vaginalis var. plantaginea , Scirpus juncoides var. hotarui , Eleocharis kuroguwai , and Sagittaria sagittifolia subsp. leucopetala with slight differences among the provinces. Although there were some differences in 18 climate zones from Taebaek sub-highlands to the southern part of the East Coast (except for the Taebaek Highland), the dominant species were Echinochloa spp., Monochoria vaginalis var. plantaginea and Scirpus juncoides var. hotarui. The most dominant family was Cyperaceae followed by Poaceae and Asteraceae. The differences of weed occurrence between provinces and agro-climatic zones were largely influenced by various weather conditions rather than the provinces. The changes in cultivation mode and herbicide use might influence as well.