Weed Management in rice
Dipankar Ghorai
KRISHI VIGYAN KENDRA
Central Research Institute for Jute & Allied Fibres,
(Indian Council of Agricultural Research)
Bud Bud, Burdwan
Things to learn……
I. Effect of weeds on rice
II. Types of weeds found in rice
III. Critical period of crop weed
competition
IV. Methods of weed control
I. Effect of weeds on rice
1. Reduce the yield and quality of rice by competing for
nutrients, water and sunlight
Upland direct seeded rice : 35-45% reduction in yield
Direct seeded on puddle land : 20-25% reduction in yield
Transplanted rice : 10-15% reduction in yield
2. Weeds intensify the pest and disease problem by serving
as alternate host
3. Reduce the efficiency of harvesting
4. Reduce the land value
5. Problems of water contamination
II. Types of weeds
A. Low land rice
1. Annual grasses
Echinocloa crusgalli (nÉ¡j¡O¡p)
1. Height - 30- 60 cm with thick, coarse, mostly erect
smooth and branching at the base.
2. The leaf blade is 10-30 cm long and 5-20 mm wide.
3. Midrib is prominent.
4. Stem is stout.
5. Inflorescence is 10-20 cm long with slender spike like.
6. Panicle green or purplish in colour. Spikelets are
densely crowded in 2-4 rows on each side of the stem.
Seeds are light orange yellow in colour.
7. Widely distributed throughout the warm tropics.
Echinocloa colonum (nÉ¡j¡O¡p/Swm£d¡e)
1. Height - 60-90 cm. with stem is creeping
below and erect above, with rooting at
lower nodes. \
2. Leaf blade 7.5 to 15 cm long; often
blotched with purple or almost black cross
bands.
3. Inflorescence is a panicle branching
racemes rather distant.
4. Widely distributed throughout the warm
tropics.
5. Propagation - seeds
Monochoria vaginalis (SmS S¢jl BN¡R¡)
Propagation - seed and root stock.
Thrives well in moist places
Ludwigia parviflora (mh‰ g¥m)
Height - up to 60 cm
Propagation - seeds.
Marselia quadrifolia (öo¢e)
Propagation- rhizomes
Annual sedges
Cyperus difformis L. (SmS j¤b¡)
12.5 to37.5 cm long
Cyperus iria L. (SmS j¤b¡)
Stems 15 to 50 cm high
Leaves up to 42.5 cm long
Fimbristylis milacea (¢h¢¾cj¤b¡)
12.5 to 45 cm high;
Leaves narrow
Perennial grass
Panicum repense (VfÑX¡ O¡p)
• Leaves - 15-25 cm long and 1.5 Paspalum conjugatum
cm wide or less, linear, flat or (f¡ul¡ O¡p)
folded, with a round base. 1. Leaves are 5-20 cm long 5-15 mm
• Panicles are 6-18 cm long, wide
somewhat loose and open and 2. Root is fibrous and shallow.
erect. 3. Propagation - runners and seeds.
• Persistent weed 4. It is prominent in humid tropics and
• Propagates - vegetatively through is a serious weed in India.
rhizomes. Rhizomes are knotty
and swollen and send out erect
culms from nodes.
Perennial sedges
Scirpus maritimus (fVf¢V O¡p)
. Stems rigid, erect 30-120 cm high
. Propagation -rhizomes.
B. Upland rice
Annual grasses
Echinochloa colonum (nÉ¡j¡O¡p/Swm£d¡e)
Height - 60-90 cm.
Leaf blade 7.5 to 15 cm long; often blotched with purple or
almost black cross bands.
Widely distributed throughout the warm tropics.
Propagation - seeds
Digitaria sanguinalis (L¡yLs¡ O¡p)
Leaves 5-15 cm long, 5-10 mm wide and somewhat hairy;
It flowers between July and September.
Propagation - seeds
Thrives both in tropical and temperate climates, moist as
well as dry and hot weather conditions
Eleucine indica (L¡c¡C O¡p)
1. Height of 30-45 cm.
2. Leaf blades are flat.
3. The roots are fibrous, deep and
spreading.
4. It flowers between June and
September.
5. Propagation - seeds and old
roots
6. Distributed throughout India
Dactyloctenium aegyptium (j¡Ls O¡p)
1. Height - 10-62.5cm
2. Leaves flat, 5-20cm long
Annual broad leaf weeds (dicotyledons)
Amaranthus spinosus (Swm£ eV)
Stem reddish
Propagation - seeds.
Distributed in warm areas
Ageratum conyzoides (hea¥mp£)
Erect, softly hairy and 50-90 cm tall annual herb;
Propagation - seeds.
Distributed in tropical and subtropical countries
Celosia argentia (hea¥mp£)
Shallow root system.
Propagation -seeds which germinates with the onset of rains.
Commelina benghalensis (L¡y¢nl¡)
Widely distributed in the tropics.
It s well adapted to moist swampy
conditions making rapid growth and
thick infestation can smother low
growing crops.
Propagation - broken pieces of stem.
Eclipta alba (Löa)
Propagation - seeds.
Portulaca oleracia (e¤¢eu¡)
It produces by seeds and stem
fragments.
Distributed throughout the tropical and
subtropical areas.
It thrives well in moist and irrigated
areas.
The stem fragments can reestablish and
survive as individual plants.
Annual sedges
Cyperus iria (SmS j¤b¡)
Widely distributed species in
paddy fields
Stems 15 to 50 cm high,
trigonous
Leaves up to 42.5 cm long;
bracts 3-5 to 25 cm long
4. Perennial grasss
Imperata cylindrica (e¤¢eu¡)
One of the worlds worst weed and has
extensive and deep penetrating system
of rhizomes.
Height of 60-120 cm.
A crop of one hectare of Imperata may
produce 4.5 million shoots, more than
10 tonnes of leaf material and 6 tonnes
of rhizomes.
The root system is fibrous.
It flowers between May and
September.
Propagation- seeds and rhizomes
Cynodon dactylon (c¤hÑ¡)
One of the worlds worst weed
Perennial grass with long
runners which strike roots at
the nodes and extensive under
ground rhizomes.
The leaves are 3-20 cm
length.
The flowering stems may be
15-50 cm long.
Propagation - vegetatively
more than by seeds.
5. Perennial sedges
Cyperus rotandus (j¤b¡)
One of the worlds worst weed.
Height -15-60 cm.
The plant is swollen and thickened at the base. It has
triangular smooth scape, 10 to 60 cm in height.
The leaves are smooth shiny, dark green and grooved on
the upper surface.
The rhizomes give rise to underground tubers which
proliferates intensively.
Tubers are concentrated in the surface 10 cm soil and
store food and are effective means of propagation. New
tubers are produced within 3 weeks after sprouting of
individual tuber. Tubers have nodes, internodes and
scale leaves.
The plant is sensitive to shade.
III. Crop-weed competition - Depends on
1. Type of rice culture
•Up land- severe competition
•Low land- Less competition
•Deep water- Less competition
2. Method of crop establishment
•Transplanting- Less to moderate
•Direct seeding- Severe competition
3. Variety
•Tall - Less competition
•Semi dwarf- More competition
•Low tillering- More weed competition
•High tillering- Less competition
4. Cultural practices
•Land preparation
•Puddled - Less competition
•Un puddled- More competition
Critical period of crop weed competition:
The period from sowing up to which the crop
has to be maintained in a weed free environment
for remunerative crop production
How long we should keep the rice field free of
weeds?
•Transplanted rice: 30-45 days after
transplanting
•Direct seeded rice: 15-45 days after seeding
IV. Methods of weed control
I. Preventive methods
They check weed introduction and spread of
weed seeds.
Easy and economical
Preventive measures include use of weed free
seeds; weed free seed bed, clean tools and
machinery, clean irrigation canals.
II. Complementary practices
1. Land preparation:
Puddling before transplanting incorporates
weeds and gives rice seedlings a head start over
weeds.
2. Using weed free crop seed and seedlings
3. Planting methods:
Straight-row planting: Easy to weed by hand or
by mechanical tool
Random planting : Difficult to weed and to
pass mechanical tool
Transplanting: Weed competition is less
Direct seeding: Weed competition is severe
4. Variety:
Tall growing traditional varieties: Compete more with weeds
Modern semi dwarf varieties : weed problem is more
5. Plant spacing and density
Closer spacing: Minimize weed competition
Higher density: Minimize weed competition
6. Fertilizer application:
Apply fertilizer after weeding
7. Water management
Continues submergence: Minimize weed growth
Alternate wetting and drying: More weed growth
Direct methods of weed control
A. Transplanted rice
1. Hand weeding:
Pulling by hand or using tools like hoe, spade or sickle
Take up one or two hand weeding between 20-42 days
after transplanting
Advantages:
Most common, easy and effective. Can be taken up even
where random planting is done
Disadvantage:
Costly, Laborious
2. Mechanical weeding:
Rotary weeder: Pushed by hand or powered
between straight rows
Advantages:
Saves labour
Disadvantage:
Require row transplanting or seeding
3. Chemical weeding
Herbicides: Chemicals that is capable of killing
some plants (weeds) without significantly
affecting the other plants (crops).
Herbicide activity: An herbicide is said to be active
or to posses activity if it hinders, inhibits or
prevents the germination and growth processes of
the plant. It is active on sensitive plants and
inactive on tolerant plants. Herbicide activity is
determined by degree of tolerance of the plant to
herbicides.
Herbicide selectivity: Refers to phenomenon where
in a chemical kills the target plant species in a
mixed plant population without harming or only
slightly affecting the other plants. Herbicide
selectivity is the single most factors that lead to
success of chemical weed control in crops.
Advantages of herbicide:
1. Pre emergent herbicides provide early season
weed control. This is beneficial as weed competition
is more severe during early stages than later stages.
2. Herbicides can be applied to weed control in crop
rows where cultivation is not possible.
3. Very effective than other methods.
4. Systemic herbicides can control many perennial
weed and brush species which cannot be efficiently
controlled by other methods.
5. They reduce the need for pre planting tillage
Classification of herbicides
I. Based on time of application:
•Pre planting: Herbicides are applied before
the crop is planted. Herbicide with greater
toxicity on emerging crop seedlings are
usually before crop is planted.
•Pre emergence: Herbicides are applied
before a crop or weeds have emerged.
•Post emergence: Herbicides are applied
after the emergence of weed or crop
II. Based on mode of activity:
Systemic or translocated herbicide:
Herbicides that are translocated throughout the plant
system and brings the activity at a place distant from the
point of application
Contact herbicide:
Herbicide that kills the plant part that comes in contact with
it. Little movement from point of application
III. Based on selectivity:
1. Selective herbicide: Kills only the target plant species
(weeds)
in a mixed plant population ( crop plants and weeds).
2. Non selective herbicides: kills all the plants that come in
contact with the herbicide.
IV: Based on Placement:
1. Soil applied: When applied to soil
2. Foliage applied: When applied on the foliage of weeds
A. Herbicides for Transplanted rice
Time of application
Trade Name Dose(kg/ha) (Days after
Herbicides
transplanting)
Pre-emergent
Machete 50EC
Butachlor 1.25 2.5 5-7
Butachlor Machete 5%G 1.5 30 5-7
Thiobencarb Saturn 4 5
Pretilachlor Eraze-x50 EC 0.5 1.00 5-7
Oxadiazon 25 EC
Ronstar 0.5-1.0 3-5
Anilogaurd
Anilofos 0.45 1.50 5-7
30EC
Pendimethalin Stomp 30EC 0.9-1.0 3.0-3.5 3-5
Pyrazosulfuron ethyl Sathi 0.02-0.03 3
Post emergent
2,4-D Sodium salt 80%EC
Fernoxone 2.0 2.5 21-28
Propanil 35 EC
Stam 2.5 7.5 1-2 leaf stage
