Occurrence and distribution characteristics of weed species in organic paddy fields

This study was conducted to investigate the dominance and distribution of weed species in organic and conventional paddy fields. The organic paddy fields were maintained for organic farming for more than five years in Anseong, Gyeonggi province of Korea. According to the Braun-Blanquet method, 42 and 36 weed species were found in the organic paddy fields in 2015 and 2016, respectively, while 38 and 36 weed species were found in the conventional paddy fields in 2015 and 2016, respectively. As a result of two years’ survey, 53 species from 24 families in the organic paddy fields were identified and classified as 32 annuals, 3 biennials and 18 perennials. In conventional paddy fields, 51 species from 24 families (30 annuals, 6 biennials, and 15 perennials) were identified. According to the classification by family, the most abundant weed species were Compositae (9 species), followed by Poaceae (8 species) and Polygonaceae (6 species) in organic paddy fields. In conventional paddy fields, Compositae (9 species) were the most abundant weed species, followed by Cruciferae (6 species), Poaceae, Polygonaceae, and Cyperaceae. This result indicates that the difference in diversity of weeds in paddy fields was influenced more by the agricultural environment than the type of cultivation. Our results could be used as a base data to control the occurrence of weed species in the paddy fields.