Weedy rice and the sustainability of alternative establishment methods Online publication date: Mon, 04-Jan-2021
by Serge Svizzero
International Journal of Sustainable Development (IJSD), Vol. 23, No. 1/2, 2020
Abstract: Given its dependence and influence on the environment, and its importance for food security, several initiatives aim to improve the sustainability of rice cultivation. The most widespread recommendation is a switch from hand transplanting to direct-seeding. In the short-term direct-seeding presents social, economic and ecological advantages, however it induces in the longer term a major problem, the proliferation of weeds, in particular of weedy rice. The latter lowers grain yield and quality, and therefore farmers' income. Since weedy rice is a conspecific of cultivated rice, then it is very difficult to control it by either traditional means or biotechnologically because it promotes crop-weed hybridisation and the introgression of traits such as herbicide resistance. In addition to their low effectiveness, these weed management methods imply in the long-term important economic and ecological costs that reduce, or even might cancel, the short-term benefits associated with the switch to direct-seeding.
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