Weed Concepts

and Challenges
Introduction
General Concepts
Current Scenario in
Weeds and Management
in Rice Production
Issues and Challenges
 Major biotic constraint to
rice production
Farmers perceive it is
easily managed
Saving yield loss of 10 -
20% can add 0.3 - 0.6 t/ha
in rice yield
In the Phils. this is about
1.23 - 2.46 M mt of rice
Income can be increased
by at least P5K 10K/ha
What is a weed?
Any plant growing where it is
not wanted
Plant which competes with the
crop for basic resources needed
for growth and development
What is the problem with weeds?
Compete with crops causing yield
reduction
Affect quality of agricultural
produce
Harbor pest/alternate hosts
Environmental Concerns
Livestock poisoning
Pose hazards to humans
Trouble in irrigation
systems and roads
Reduce the aesthetic
value of crop lands
 Why are weeds persistent?
Efficient dispersal
Extensive seed reserve in
soil (seed bank)
Dormancy
Prolific seed production
Parachute like structure Popping mechanism
 Seed Production of Some Weeds
Weed species Seeds / plant
Echinochloa crus-galli * 40,000
Amaranthus spinosus 196,000
Bidens pilosa 6,000
Commelina benghalensis 25,000
Dactyloctenium aegyptium 66,000
Eleusine indica 41,200
Portulaca oleracea 10,000
Rottboellia cochinchinensis** 3,160
* principal weed in rice
** principal weed in corn
Classification of weeds
According to life cycle
ANNUAL
-complete its life
cycle in one year
or less
-Prolific seed P. oleracea
producers
Classification of weeds
According to life cycle
PERENNIAL
-complete its life
cycle in 1 yr or
more
- reproduce from C. rotundus
seedling and
vegetative tubers

propagules aside
from seeds
Classification of weeds
According to habitat
LOWLAND
growth is favored
by high soil
moisture or
flooded condition
UPLAND
grows well
under drained
unflooded
condition
Classification of weeds
According to morphology
GRASS monocots
-hollow stems
-Nodes and internodes
-Alternate leaves
-Parallel leaf venation
-No primary root
 Classification of weeds
According to morphology
monocots
SEDGE
-triangular stem
-Leaf arranged in rank
-Parallel leaf venation
-No primary root
 Classification of weeds
According to morphology
dicots
BROADLEAF
-netted venation
-Opposite or
alternate leaf
arrangement
- has primary root
 Invasive weeds
Exotic species introduced
as ornamentals or
contaminants in imported
crops

Salvinia molesta

Eichornia crassipes

Hydrilla verticillata Pistia stratiotes

 The grasses
Shift from transplanted to direct-
seeded rice led to the dominance of
grass weeds
Competitive advantage over rice
because of deeper root system and
similar morphology with rice
Problem Weeds

The broadleaf weeds

Dominant in TPR but a few remain to be
aggressive competitors
Growth is favored in more flooded conditions
Herbicides 2,4-D and MCPA effectively reduced
broadleaf weed population
Secondary weeds emerging as dominant
Hydrolea zeylanica
Problem Weeds
The sedges
Not as competitive
as grasses but can
cause significant
yield loss when
population is dense
and occupy large
areas
Easily controlled by
herbicides except
purple nutsedge
Common weeds associated with rice

Leptochloa
chinensis (Palay
maya)

Echinochloa
glabrescence
(Telebisyon /
antenna)
Ischaemum
rugosum (Trigo-
triguhan)

Cynadon
dactylon
(Malit)
Cyperus iria
(Payung-
payungan)

Fimbristylis
milliacea
(Ubod-ubod)
Sphenoclea
zeylanica (Sili-
silihan / burat-
aso)

Hydrolea
zeylanica
(Sigang-dagat)
Ludwigia
octovalvis
(Malapako)

Monochoria
vaginalis (Gabing-
uwak)
Crop-Weed Competition
Critical period of competition time
when weeds are most likely to reduce crop
growth and yield
1/3 -1/2 of the life cycle of the crop
Control at seedling stage to the closure of the
canopy
Yield reduction: 40-96% across rice ecosystems
Critical threshold level maximum
density of weeds which the crop can tolerate
without causing significant yield/biomass
reductions
Rice can tolerate below 250/m2 Cyperus sp.
Echinochloa at 5/m2 caused 9% yield reduction
 When should weeds be
controlled?
at least 21 days after crop
establishment
Later weeds tend to have little
effect on crop yields, but
produce seeds that can mean
problems for grain quality and
harvest, and/or significant weed
problems in the subsequent
crops.
An old farmers saying says: One year
seeds, seven years weeds...
 Basic skills to manage weeds
Assess the situation
Know what weeds you are dealing with (and
their significance)
Know whether the weeds present represent a
problem
Determine the best time and options to control
the weeds given the circumstances confronting
the farmer and the stage of the weeds and the
crop
Implement control
If the option is to spray, then it is important
to:
Select the appropriate product, and
Apply safely
Assess the situation.
Weed Management Approach
Wide variety of practices and
methods to match diversity of
weed species
No single method used in isolation
can give effective and continuous
control
Most effective methods provide
favorable stand establishment and
growth for rice but not for weeds
 Weed Management Approach

Cultural
Hand weeding, pulling,
mechanical weeding
Water management
Tillage (stale seedbed
technique)
Weed Management Approach

Biological
Natural enemies to suppress growth or
reduce populations of weeds
Insects, fungi, ducks, fish, shrimps, GAS, etc.
Difficult to achieve an excellent
control for fungi and other micro-
organisms
Preferred method for organic rice
production in Korea
Weed Management Approach
Chemical control
Caution: Continuous
use of same herbicide
over long periods results
in herbicide resistance
More economical and
convenient but requires
skill
Trend towards Cat 4 and
low dose application
Few novel molecules
being developed
New uses and formulations
for old herbicides
Combination herbicide for
wider spectrum of control
Chemical control management
strategies
Choice of the
herbicide
depends on:
weed problem
crops to follow
types of Always read and heed the
label!!
herbicides used
in previous
crops
IWM is key to effective and
sustainable weed
management
Current weed management practices
Farmers generally use cultivation, water
management and herbicides to manage weeds
Farmers generally use high seeding rates (contrary
to PhilRice recommendation)
Farmers choose weed management practices on
the basis of effectiveness (in controlling weeds),
and ease of use
Herbicide use is common and increasing, moving to
high risk herbicide groups but farmers are
concerned about herbicide use
Herbicide application decided by field
monitoring/weed density
Issues and Challenges

Weed shifts
Emerging
dominant weeds
Weedy rice
Herbicide
resistance
Weed control
strategies
 Emerging weeds
Ischaemum rugosum (saramollagrass)

Leptochloa chinensis (sprangletop)

Cyperus rotundus (purple nutsedge)

Hydrolea zeylanica

Weedy Rice (red rice)

 Philippines

Weedy rice
Close relative of
cultivated rice
Has gained dominance
in direct-seeded rice Malaysia

Yield loss can be as

high as 100%
Reason for occurrence Thailand

is under debate
Most challenging weed
in rice
 Herbicide Resistance
Inherited ability of a weed or crop
biotype to survive herbicide
application to which the original
population was susceptible
Mechanism
Alteration of the site of action
Metabolism of the herbicide
Sequestration (removal of
herbicide from target site)
 Herbicide Resistance
How does HR occur?
Normally through selection with
prolonged application of single
type of herbicide or herbicides
with the same site of action
The more susceptible weed
species are to herbicide, the
greater is the selection
intensity
Senecio vulgaris
(common groundsel)
1968 resistant to
triazines

Rye grass (Lolium

rigidum) Super weed
which has resistance to
11 herbicides for wheat
in Australia
Weed Herbicide Country
E.crusgalli Butachlor, propanil China, Thailand,
preticlachlor, benthiocarb Philippines
quinclorac
E. colona Propanil, Fenoxaprop Korea

E. indica Glyphosate Malaysia

F. miliacea 2,4-D Malaysia
M. vaginalis Sulfonylurea, pyrazosulfuron Japan, Korea
L. flava 2.4-D Malaysia,
Indonesia
S. zeylanica 2,4-D Malaysia,
Philippines
L. chinensis Fenoxaprop Thailand
 Herbicide Characteristics
Influencing Weed Resistance
Single site of action
Used multiple times during the growing
season
Used for consecutive growing seasons
Used without other control strategies
Repeated use of a product for more than
2 years (in case of ACCase and ALS
inhibitors)
 Herbicide Resistance Could Be
Suspected When
Other causes of herbicide failure have been
ruled out
Same herbicide with same MOA have been
used year after year
One weed that is normally controlled is not
controlled while other weeds are
Healthy weeds are mixed with controlled
weeds (same species)
A patch of uncontrolled weed is spreading
 How to prevent HR
Use herbicide only when necessary
Rotate herbicides
Apply herbicide in tank mixed or
sequential mixtures with different
site of action
Rotate crops
Scout fields regularly and identify
weeds present
Integrated weed management
practices
Integrated Weed Management

Integration of multiple control

tactics with precision timing and
minimal costs in a holistic and
compatible manner, and links weed
control to ecosystem management
 Key IWM Components
Good land preparation (2 - 3
weeks)
Water management (controlled
or intermittent irrigation)
Chemical control (one pre- or
early post-emergence herbicide)
Weed control action indicator
(for follow up weed control)
 Quick impacts of IWM
Taken from Nueva Ecija and Iloilo
provinces after two years:
Better weed control
Reduced yield loss
Higher profits
Uptake of local farmer
groups
Better yields with enhanced farmers skills
on weed management in WDSR
Site Weed mgt. Grain yield (t ha-1) in 2005
Dry season Wet
season
Dingle, Iloilo IWM 4.04 b 4.53 b
FP 3.47 a 3.83 a
Barotac IWM 3.43 b 4.06 a
Nuevo, Iloilo FP 2.99 a 3.26 a
Aliaga, IWM 3.69 b 5.36 b
Nueva Ecija FP 3.35 a 4.99 a
Rizal, Nueva IWM 6.76 a 4.37 a
Ecija FP 6.08 a 4.14 a
 The changing climate brings forth
new challenges in the rice ecosystem
As water for rice production becomes
less available
Changes in cultivation techniques
Changes in rice culture
Weeds will adapt better and faster
 Weed management technologies
must reach farmers for these
become useless if these are not
adopted
Enabling farmers to develop
science-based weed management
strategies is the key to sustainable
weed management
 Integrated weed management
Augurs well with enhancing
farmers profitability,
environmental stewardship and
responsiveness to consumer calls
for pesticide-safe foods

FP IWM

IWM is sustainable weed management