Title: Weedy rice and the sustainability of alternative establishment methods

Authors: Serge Svizzero

Addresses: Faculté de Droit et d'Economie, Université de La Réunion, 15 Avenue René Cassin, CS 9003, 97400 Saint Denis, France

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.

Keywords: Oryza sativa f. spontanea; red rice; direct-seeded rice; integrated weed management; IWM; herbicide-resistant rice varieties; hand transplanting rice.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSD.2020.112123

International Journal of Sustainable Development, 2020 Vol.23 No.1/2, pp.86 - 102

Received: 03 Apr 2020
Accepted: 23 Jun 2020
Published online: 04 Jan 2021 *

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