Overview
This project aimed to identify the challenges posed by current weedy rice infestation levels in the Philippines and Vietnam, two major Asian rice producers, develop novel solutions for weed management in rice; to identify research gaps; and support stewardship for the adoption of new technologies for effective control of weedy rice in Asia.
Weedy rices are broadly defined as plants from the genus Oryza that mimic, infest and compete with rice (Delouche et al, 2007a). Weedy rice is reported as a serious pest of directseeded rice systems. Weedy rice can spread rapidly, is highly competitive and can dramatically reduce rice yield and quality (Fischer and Ramirez, 1993). It is universally acknowledged that rice is the world’s most important food source and staple food for more than half of the world population. Asia is the world’s largest rice producing region. The particular problem is that seeds of weedy rice species mature and shatter before rice, injecting large seed numbers into the soil seedbank which will perpetuate the infestations in the following growing seasons.
