Dry-seeded Rice Research Articles

Oxyfluorfen use in Combination with Clomazone or Quinclorac

Abstract Oxyfluorfen, a Herbicide Resistance Action Committee (HRAC)/Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) Group 14 herbicide that inhibits protoporphyrinogen IX oxidase, has shown significant potential in controlling barnyardgrass. Despite its current lack of labeling for use in midsouthern U.S. rice due to the potential for crop injury, the introduction of a trait in rice that confers resistance to oxyfluorfen could provide producers with an effective alternative site of action for weed control. Field experiments were conducted during the 2021 and 2022 growing seasons near Stuttgart, AR, and near Lonoke, AR, to determine the optimum rates of clomazone (280 or 336 g ha-1) and oxyfluorfen (673 or 840 g ha-1) to use in sequential preemergence (PRE) and postemergence (POST) applications on a silt loam soil and to assess the efficacy of oxyfluorfen when combined with clomazone and quinclorac PRE, followed by oxyfluorfen POST. No differences in barnyardgrass control were observed among treatments 14 days after emergence (DAE) in three site years, as all control was ≥90%. By 35 days after the postemergence application (DAPOST), all barnyardgrass control was ≥94% for herbicide treatments in all site years. All herbicide treatments resulted in lower barnyardgrass seed production than the nontreated in 2021. Contrasts revealed that oxyfluorfen applied PRE on a silt loam soil resulting in barnyardgrass control similar to clomazone or quinclorac alone at 14 DAE. Although oxyfluorfen combined with clomazone or quinclorac did not increase barnyardgrass control, an additional site of action for control of this weed could help reduce the evolution of resistance. Mixing oxyfluorfen with clomazone in a dry-seeded rice production system in the midsouthern U.S. would effectively control barnyardgrass and reduce the risk for resistance to both herbicides, further highlighting the potential of oxyfluorfen in rice production.

Evaluation of Alternate Tillage and Weed Management Options on Production Potential and Weed Incidences for Dry Seeded Rice (DSR)

Evaluation of Alternate Tillage and Weed Management Options on Production Potential and Weed Incidences for Dry Seeded Rice (DSR)

Irrigation Management Strategies to Increase Crop-Water Productivity and Grain Quality of Direct Seeded Rice in North West IGP: A Review

Due to its great productivity and profitability, rice (Oryza sativa L.) is farmed in alluvial irrigated tracts of northwest India. For half of the world's population as well as in our country, rice serves as the main source of calories. However, excessive groundwater use in rice farming has resulted in an alarming decline in water table, indicating overuse of groundwater. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate alternative, resource-conserving methods that can sustain rice production. Direct seeded rice presents a compelling option when the future of rice production is in jeopardy due to worldwide water constraint and rising labour costs. The oldest method of crop establishment in this regard, direct seeded rice (DSR), is becoming more and more well-liked constraints minimal input requirements. It has certain benefits, including labour savings, a reduction in water and manpower requirements, early crop maturity, cheap production costs, improved soil physical conditions for crops, a reduction in methane emissions, and greater options for being the best match in various cropping systems. For dry-seeded rice, management strategies that cut irrigation water use and boost crop-water production are needed. Some of the interventions in this respect include cultivars with short growing seasons, tillage, and irrigation scheduling. High crop-water productivity is ensured with optimal yields thanks to irrigation scheduling that aims to eliminate over- or under-irrigation. Tillage changes the edaphic environment of the soil, which impacts crop development. Because of their shallow root systems, rice plants are unable to use the water in the deeper layers of the soil. In order to increase the deep root growth of rice cultivars, deep tillage has become the preferable method. The present research evaluates irrigation management options to raise crop-water productivity and grain quality of DSR in northwest IGP based on the available evidence.

Pendimethalin plus pyrazosulfuron for pre-emergence control of complex weed flora in dry-seeded rice

Pendimethalin plus pyrazosulfuron for pre-emergence control of complex weed flora in dry-seeded rice

Deciphering the influence of barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli) density on growth and yield components of dry-seeded rice

Deciphering the influence of barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli) density on growth and yield components of dry-seeded rice

Cyperus iria Weed Growth, Survival, and Fecundity in Response to Varying Weed Emergence Times and Densities in Dry-Seeded Rice Systems

Cyperus iria is amongst the most threatening weeds of rice in Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, and the Philippines. Broad knowledge about the ecology and fecundity of C. iria is important for its effective management. Field studies were conducted over two seasons (wet (WS) and dry seasons (DS)) to investigate the influence of C. iria populations (40 and 80 plants m−2) on its growth, survival, and fertility, with four emergence times, 3, 15, 30, and 45 d after rice emergence (DARE), during 2013. We postulated that (a) higher plant density of this weed would result in more biomass production and viable seeds per unit area, (b) interference of rice would reduce the biomass production and fecundity of this weed, and (c) delaying weed emergence would lead to downsizing of its percent survival and seed bank enrichment in soil. The results indicated that rice interference decreased C. iria growth and seed production as compared with those of plants established without rice interference. A linear decrease in the percent survival of C. iria without rice and a sigmoid decrease with rice were observed during both seasons. Plant height of C. iria was moderately affected up to 30 DARE, and a significant reduction was observed at 45 DARE. There was a linear relationship between C. iria shoot dry weight and seed number plant −1, across-weed density, seeding rate of rice, and emergence time. C. iria seed production, 1000-seed weight, and seed yield were greater when seedlings emerged simultaneously with the rice crop (3 DARE) than when they emerged late. Under rice weed interference growth, the production of viable seeds was completely stopped at 45 DARE. The delay in the emergence of C. iria up to 45 DARE was unable to produce seed in both seasons. The results of the current studies advocate that the emergence, weed biomass, and seed production of C. iria can be checked by adopting suitable cultural weed management practices, which can impede the emergence of weed relative to rice. These practices, enabling the respective crops to be more competitive, will foster integrated weed management approaches, thus offering a key role in seed detection to the soil seed reservoir or pool by notorious weeds in the field.

Weed control for sustaining rice production under dry seeding systems in North-Western India

Identification and adoption of effective weed management practice play a fundamental role for a successful dry-seeded rice (DSR). This field experiment was designed to evaluate the impact of weed control options on weed management, productivity, nutrient uptake, and energetics in DSR. Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv. was the most dominant species followed by Leptochloa chinensis (L.) Nees. Among the weed control options, sequential applications of pendimethalin (1000 g a.i. ha−1) as pre-emergence and pre-mix combination of penoxsulam (1%) plus cyhalofop-butyl (5%) at 130 g a.i. ha−1 at 25 days after sowing (DAS) led to significant reduction in weed density (82.9%) and biomass (80.1%). This resulted in highest rice grain yield (3.92 t ha−1) and nutrient uptake, resulting in considerably higher energy productivity and lower specific energy. Brown manuring combined with application of metsulfuron methyl (10%) plus chlorimuron ethyl (10%) at 4 g a.i. ha−1 at 40 DAS was also effective in controlling weeds. Based on relative advantages of pendimethalin and penoxsulam plus cyhalofop-butyl in sequence over others, this may be recommended for weed control in DSR.

Influence of Echinochloa crus-galli density and emergence time on growth, productivity and critical period of competition with dry-seeded rice

Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv. is a stronger competitor of rice for resources than other weeds. An adequate knowledge of the biology, ecology and critical period of competition of E. crus-galli with dry-seeded rice (DSR) is fundamental in designing effective, sustainable and integrated weed management programs. Experiments were conducted in the 2013 dry and wet seasons to determine the effect of two E. crus-galli densities (40 and 80 plants m−2) emerging at four intervals (2, 15, 30 and 45 d after rice emergence, DARE) with and without rice interference on the growth and biomass accumulation of both rice and weed, and the productivity of rice. The E. crus-galli plant height decreased with the interference of rice plants. The maximum height of 115–130 cm and number of tillers of 477–508 m−2 in rice plants were recorded when grown alone, and these growth parameters declined to 105–109 cm and 315–352 m−2, respectively, when rice emerged simultaneously with E. crus-galli. Other rice growth parameters (stem, leaf, panicle and shoot biomass, and leaf area) and grain yield attributes (panicle density, per panicle filled spikelets and grain weight) decreased significantly with increases in E. crus-galli density at the early emergence time. A delay in E. crus-galli emergence from 0 to 45 DARE caused a significant reduction in E. crus-galli biomass, which resulted in less reduction in rice biomass and leaf area index. Rice grain yield, grain weight, and harvest index improved significantly with a delay in weed emergence up to 45 DARE. The highest grain yield was recorded when rice was grown alone (6.8–7.3 t ha−1), which was similar to the yield produced in the plots wherein E. crus-galli sown at 40 plants m−2 (6.9–7.0 t ha−1) and 80 plants m−2 (6.4–6.7 t ha−1) emerged at 45 DARE. The lowest grain yield (4.3–4.9 t ha−1) was recorded in the plots wherein E. crus-galli emerged simultaneously with rice. This study established that E. crus-galli emergence at 45 DARE could not cause an economic yield loss because of less biomass accumulation and lower survival rate.

Effects of tillage and mulch on soil evaporation in a dry seeded rice-wheat cropping system

Soil evaporation (Es) is a non-productive loss of water during crop production and can account for a substantial fraction of total water loss. While there have been many field determinations of Es in individual crops, Es is seldom quantified at the annual cropping system scale, a case in point being the extensive rice-wheat (RW) system of north-west India. The sustainability of this system is threatened by groundwater depletion, so methods to reduce Es are needed. Rice straw mulch reduces Es from wheat, but whether the residual mulch affects Es during the subsequent fallow and rice crop is not known. The effects of zero tillage (ZT) for wheat and rice on Es are also unknown. Therefore, given the interest in changing to conservation agriculture RW systems, the effects of tillage and mulch on Es were determined in a dry-seeded RW system field experiment conducted over two years in Punjab, India. Total Es from the ZT dry seeded RW system was 600−700 mm year−1. The majority (56–66 %) of this loss occurred during the rice phase, and 22 % and 12–22 % during the wheat and fallow phases, respectively. Almost half the loss during the rice phase occurred during establishment of the dry seeded rice (DSR). Tillage method had no effect on Es from the mulched wheat crop, however conventional tillage (CT) significantly increased Es in non-mulched wheat, probably because the latter required two more irrigations than the non-mulched ZT crop. Mulching of wheat with rice straw decreased Es of CT wheat by 50 mm, and of ZT wheat by 32−34 mm but did not affect Es during the fallow period after wheat harvest. Methods for reducing Es from DSR, especially during the establishment phase, should be given high priority given that around 30 % of the total system Es occurred during this phase.

Growth, Yield and Economic Analysis of Dry-Seeded Basmati Rice

Growth, Yield and Economic Analysis of Dry-Seeded Basmati Rice

Transforming labor requirement, crop yield, and profitability with precision dry-direct seeding of rice and integrated weed management in Eastern India.

In many parts of Eastern India that have a very high prevalence of rural poverty and food insecurity, the prevailing rice establishment practice of 'beushening' is characterized by low yields and modest profitability, while labor and energy inputs are high. Beushening consists of broadcasting ungerminated rice seed at high rates (>100 kg ha-1) prior to the onset of monsoon rain, followed by ploughing at 4-6 weeks after crop emergence to control weeds with subsequent manual gap filling through seedling redistribution to ensure stand uniformity. Dry-direct seeding of rice (DSR), both drill-DSR and precision broadcast-DSR in combination with integrated weed management (IWM) may offer a pathway for simultaneously reducing costs and markedly increasing productivity. On-farm trials were conducted from 2016 to 2018 in four districts of Odisha (Mayurbhanj, Cuttack, Bhadrak, and Puri) to evaluate the yield and economic performance of dry-DSR (drill and precision broadcast), coupled with herbicide-based IWM strategies, in comparison with conventional beushening. Drill-DSR with IWM increased grain yield by 1.7 t ha-1 in Mayurbhanj and 1.3 t ha-1 in Cuttack, but not in Bhadrak, compared to beushening. The combination of increased yield and lower variable cost in drill-DSR increased net benefit by 550, 395, and 166 US$ ha-1 in Mayurbhanj, Cuttack, and Bhadrak, respectively. For farmers without access to seed drills, precision broadcast-DSR with IWM increased yields by 0.91, 1.22 and 0.60 t ha-1, and net benefits by 270, 312, and 188 US$ ha-1 in Mayurbhanj, Puri, and Bhadrak, respectively. Among the IWM practices evaluated in dry-DSR, application of pretilachlor + safener @ 500 g ai ha-1 as pre-emergence, followed by bispyribac-sodium @ 20 g ai ha-1 at 15-25 days after sowing as post-emergence, and then one spot hand weeding at 30-35 days after sowing was effective in controlling weeds. These results suggest that rice yield gaps in eastern India can be reduced, and farmers' income from rice can be increased by more than 50 % by replacing beushening with drill-DSR or precision broadcast-DSR. The results could be applicable to approximately 6.4 million ha of lowland rice where beushening is currently practiced in Eastern India.

Performance of Dry-Seeded Rice Genotypes under Varied Soil Moisture Regimes and Foliar-Applied Hormones.

Plant hormones influence various physiological processes during the growth and development of plants, but their critical roles in influencing yield and antioxidant activities in dry-seeded rice (DSR) have not been adequately explored. This study aims to analyze the performance and antioxidant activity of contrasting genotypes of DSR in response to soil moisture regimes and foliar-applied hormones. The study comprised sixteen treatments that were evaluated under field conditions as per split-plot design in three replications. Treatments comprised combinations of two soil moisture tension regimes (10 kPa and 20 kPa) and two genotypes (PR-111, non-stay-green type and PR-123, stay-green type) applied to the main plots and foliar application of three hormones (gibberellic acid (GA3) 40 mg kg−1, abscisic acid (ABA) 20 mg kg−1, and cytokinin (CK) 40 mg kg−1)) and a control (unsprayed) to subplots. The non-stay-green genotype (PR-111) resulted in 34.6% more grain yield (6.48 t ha−1) than the stay-green genotype (PR-123) at the lower soil moisture tension regime (SMTR) (10 kPa) due to the increased number of filled grains per panicle and improvement in harvest index (HI). At the higher SMTR (20 kPa), the stay-green genotype (PR-123) produced 26.4% more grain yield (5.21 t ha−1) than non-stay green genotype (4.12 t ha−1) and showed enhanced superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxide dismutase (POD) activity that may have contributed in maintaining sink size through improved chlorophyll content. Grain yield (6.35 t ha−1) with foliar-applied GA3 (40 mg kg−1) at SMTR of 10 kPa was higher by 12.2% and 24.0% than with foliar-applied ABA (20 mg kg−1) and unsprayed treatments, respectively. Irrigation application at SMTR of 20 kPa and foliar application of ABA gave 24.1% higher grain yield (5.15 t ha−1) than the unsprayed treatment, but it was similar to foliar-applied GA3 and CK. This study implied that the stay-green genotype (PR-123) was more suitable under moisture stress conditions (20 kPa) in DSR, as it maintained sink size even under moisture stress conditions by improving dry matter translocation and enhancing SOD and POD activity. The study suggests the need to find out the endogenous level of these plant hormones in rice genotypes under a range of water regimes to develop high yielding and water use efficient genotypes of DSR.

Intercomparison of crop establishment methods for improving yield and profitability in the rice-wheat system of Eastern India

Conventionally managed rice-wheat systems of the eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains (E-IGP) that rely on soil puddling for rice and intensive tillage for wheat are low-yielding and resource-inefficient, leading to low profitability. While a host of alternative tillage and crop establishment (TCE) methods have been advocated as solutions for sustainably enhancing productivity and profitability, few systematic comparisons of these methods are reported. To address this gap, a three-year field study was conducted in Bihar, India with the goal of identifying TCE methods for rice-wheat systems that are high yielding, less resource-intensive, and more profitable. The following systems were evaluated: 1) puddled transplanted rice (PTR) followed by (fb) conventional tillage wheat (CTW) or zero-tillage wheat (ZTW); 2) machine transplanted rice in non-puddled soil (MTR) fb ZTW; 3) the system of rice intensification (SRI) fb system of wheat intensification (SWI); and 4) dry-seeded rice (DSR) fb ZTW. Rice cultivar duration (short versus medium-duration) was incorporated as a subplot treatment in all systems. Rice yields were similar with all methods, except DSR yield was 11 % lower and MTR yield was 7% higher than PTR in the third year. Cost of production was US$ 149 and 77 ha−1 lower in DSR and MTR, respectively, and US$ 84 ha-1 higher in SRI than PTR. The gross margin and benefit-cost (B:C) ratio was highest in MTR followed by DSR and lowest in SRI. In wheat, ZT resulted in a higher yield than CTW, especially when ZTW was cultivated after non-puddled rice (e.g., DSR or MTR). ZTW reduced production costs by US$ 69 ha-1, whereas SWI increased it by US$ 139 ha-1 relative to CTW. The higher yield and lower cost of production resulted in a higher gross margin (US$ 82−355 ha−1 and US$ 129−409 ha−1 higher than CTW and SWI, respectively) and a higher B:C ratio in ZTW treatments than CTW and SWI. At the system level, MTR or DSR followed by ZTW had both superior crop yields and consistently higher gross margins (US $133 to 382 ha-1) than other practices. On the other hand, the SRI fb SWI system had no yield advantage and poorer economic performance than conventional practices. In all systems, the inclusion of a medium-duration rice hybrid resulted in higher rice and system yields. These results suggest that significant gains in profitability are possible with emerging TCE practices in rice-wheat systems, but alternatives such as the SRI and SWI will likely erode farmer incomes.

Response of Soil Applied Herbicides at Different Application Timings on The Weed Control Efficacy and Phytotoxicity to Rice In Dry-seeded Condition

Dry-seeded rice (DSR) is a labor and water saving emerging production system. The use of pre-emergence herbicides was found to be the most effective weeds control measure under the DSR system. Although several herbicides are now available in market, the selection of right herbicides with a time of application is crucial for effective control of weeds as well as to reduce the phyto toxicity of crops. A field study in a split-plot design with three replications was conducted to evaluate the effect of application time of soil applied herbicides (viz., 3 times - before crop sowing, after crop sowing but before the first irrigation, and after sowing and first irrigation) and four weeding regimes (viz., weed free, partial-weedy, herbicide oxadiargyl 80 g ai ha-1, and pendimethalin 1000 g ai ha-1) on weed control efficacy, crop performance as well as phytotoxicity of applied herbicides under DSR system. Rice plant stand establishment was highly influenced by application time of herbicides and weeding regimes. Application of pendimethalin at 1000 g ai ha-1 significantly reduced the density of rice plant, more so as sowing was advanced. Compared with the non-treated (partial-weedy) treatment (190 to 195 rice plants m-2), pendimethalin application before sowing, after sowing but before irrigation, and after sowing and irrigation reduced rice plant density by 48, 25 and 12%, respectively. While no significant difference was observed on plant density due to the application of oxadiargyl 80 g ai ha-1, regardless of application time. In case of weed control efficacy for individual herbicides, pendimethalin effectively controlled weeds even spraying before sowing and irrigation; but comparatively less effective than spraying after irrigation. In controlling weeds, oxadiargyl was only effective when spraying after sowing and irrigation, but not before irrigation. Grain yield was significantly increased as the time of herbicide was delayed from before sowing (2.2-2.4 t ha-1), after sowing but before irrigation (2.5-2.6 t ha-1), and after sowing and irrigation (4.0-4.1 tha-1). The results suggest that pre-emergence herbicides should be applied after sowing and irrigation for controlling weeds effectively and also reduce crop toxicity under the DSR system.
 Bangladesh Agron. J. 2019, 22(1): 15-25

Influence of different establishment methods of rice on the parameters of water, weed, growth and yield under rice - rice - blackgram system

Field experiments were conducted at Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute, Aduthurai during 2016-2018. Field experiments were laid out in randomized block design with four replications. The six treatments under system basis were T1 - NPTR (Kharif) - NT (Rabi) - NT (Summer), T2 - NPTR (Kharif) - PTR (Rabi) - NT (Summer), T3- DSR (Kharif) - NT (Rabi) - NT (Summer), T4 – DSR (Kharif) - PTR (Rabi) - NT (Summer), T5 – PTR (Kharif) - NT (Rabi) - NT (Summer) and T6- PTR (Kharif) - PTR (Rabi) - NT (Summer). The results revealed that among different crop establishment methods, dry seeded rice(DSR) produced significantly higher growth attributes, weed and water parameters which ultimately resulted in higher yield attributes, grain and straw yields during both the years of kharif season. During rabi seasons, among different crop establishment methods, puddled transplanted rice (PTR) preceded by dry seeded rice (DSR) produced significantly higher growth parameters, weed and water parameters which eventually resulted in higher yield attributes, grain and straw yields.

Medium-term impact of tillage and residue retention on soil physical and biological properties in dry-seeded rice–wheat system in north-west India

Repeated puddling for rice cultivation and extensive tillage during wheat cultivation in the north-west of India has adversely affected soil health. Adoption of resource conservation technologies (RCTs) is required for long-term sustainability of conventional rice–wheat systems. However, the behaviour of these technologies is site-specific. A field study was conducted in 2016 to evaluate the medium-term impact of tillage and residue retention on soil physical and biological characteristics. Four treatments were imposed during 2011: conventionally-tilled (CT) rice followed by CT wheat all without residue retention (–M); zero-tilled (ZT) rice followed by ZT wheat and –M; CT rice followed by CT wheat and all with residue retention (+M); and ZT direct-seeded rice followed by ZT wheat and +M. In the surface layer (0–15 cm) of ZT, soil organic carbon (SOC) stock was higher by 15%, mean weight diameter (MWD) by 31.8% and bulk density (BD) by 4% compared to CT averaged across residue treatments. Irrespective of tillage, SOC stock was increased by 19% and MWD by 39% and BD decreased by 1.8% in +M compared with –M in the 0–15 cm soil layer. Infiltration rate was higher in +M than –M irrespective of tillage. Microbial biomass carbon, basal soil respiration and soil enzymatic activities were higher in ZT and +M than CT and –M respectively. Thus, medium-term adoption of RCTs such as ZT and residue retention enhanced soil physical and biological properties in this dry-seeded rice–wheat system. However, whether retaining wheat residue improves soil physical and biological properties requires further investigation.

Mesocotyl elongation, an essential trait for dry-seeded rice (Oryza sativa L.): a review of physiological and genetic basis.

(1) Mesocotyl elongation is responsive to abiotic stresses, such as deep sowing drought, submergence, chilling, and salinity. (2) Humus soil culture with a burial depth of 6cm and at the temperature of 30°C could be the optimum method for mesocotyl length phenotyping, The frequently colocalized quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling mesocotyl elongation were located on chromosome (3) 1 (RM562-RG146), chromosome 2 (RZ288-RM145), and chromosome 3 (RM426-RM520). Dry direct-seeding is becoming a popular rice cultivation technology in many countries, which reduces water use and labor costs enormously. Meanwhile, direct-seeding rice is also facing the problems of low seedling emergence rate, poor seedling establishment, weed infestation, and high crop lodging rate. To take the full advantages of direct-seeding, both agronomic and genetic solutions are needed. Varieties with optimum mesocotyl length are desired for improving rice seedling emergence rate, particularly under deep sowing and submergence, which is adopted to reduce lodging and increase tolerance to abiotic stresses. In this review, we summarized the physiological and genetic mechanisms of mesocotyl elongation in rice. The elongation of mesocotyl is affected by light, temperature, and water, and, as a result, is responsive to sowing depth, water content, and soil salinity. Plant hormones such as abscisic acid (ABA), brassinosteroid (BR), strigolactones (SLs), cytokinin (CTK), ethylene (ETH), jasmonic acid (JA), gibberellin (GA), and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) play important roles in regulating mesocotyl elongation. A humus soil culture protocol developed by our team was shown to be a better high-throughput method for measuring mesocotyl length in large scale. Sixty-seven QTL controlling mesocotyl length were reported, which are distributed on all the 12 chromosomes. Twelve chromosomal regions were repeatedly found to have QTL using various mapping populations and methods. These regions should be targeted in future studies to isolate genes and develop markers for molecular breeding. Two genes with very different molecular functions have been cloned, highlighting the genetic complexity of mesocotyl elongation.

First Report of Herbicide-Resistant Echinochloa crus-galli in Uruguayan Rice Fields

Echinochloa crus-galli is the main weed in direct dry-seeded rice systems worldwide and is the target of most herbicide applications. Numerous cases of E. crus-galli biotypes with resistance to herbicides have been reported in different regions of the world; however, to date, no cases have been reported in Uruguay. The purpose of this research is to assess the presence of herbicide-resistant E. crus-galli in the rice fields of Uruguay. More than 40 E. crus-galli biotypes were sampled from eastern to northern regions in different years and assessed following the Herbicide Resistance Action Committee (HRAC) protocols of confirmation, using the herbicides propanil, quinclorac, clomazone, bispyribac–sodium, penoxsulam, imazapyr + imazapic, profoxidim and cyhalofop. Herbicides rates included 0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.50, 1, 2, 4 and 8 times the label rate. Most E. crus-galli biotypes (35) resulted as resistant to quinclorac. Furthermore, resistance was confirmed to propanil in at least seven biotypes, 12 to imazapyr + imazapic, and three to penoxsulam. Five biotypes showed multiple resistance to propanil and quinclorac, and one biotype was resistant to quinclorac, penoxsulam and imazapyr + imazapic. No biotype showed confirmed resistance to clomazone, bispyribac-sodium, cyhalofop or profoxidim—herbicides that ensure satisfactory control. The presence of E. crus-galli herbicide resistant-biotypes reduces herbicide options, threatening rice production in Uruguay. In this context, a redesign of the productive systems would represent an opportunity to complement the chemical control, integrating larger-scale cultural and management practices.

Influence of weed management and planting methods for improving yield of dry seeded rice

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of planting methods and weed management in direct dry-seeded rice during summer season of 2017 and 2018 at Experimental Farm, Annamalai University. The treatment comprised of five rice planting treatments, viz. conventional tillage normal spacing [row to row (R × R) -18 cm], conventional tillage square planting (R×R-20 cm, plant to plant (P × P)-20 cm), conventional tillage paired row (9-27-9 cm), reduced tillage paired row (9-27-9 cm), reduced tillage square planting (R × R -20 cm, P×P-20 cm) in main plot and sub-plot consisted of four weed management treatments, viz. weedy, two hand weeding, pendimethalin 1.0 kg/ha fb azimsulfuron 17.5 g/ha + bispyribac 25 g/ha (tank mixed) at 15 DAS fb one hand weeding (HW), oxadiargyl 50 g/ha fb metsulfuron-methyl 2 g/ha + chlorimuron-ethyl 2 g/ha (ready mix) at 20 DAS fb 1 HW. Significant reduction in weed density and biomass was recorded in two hand weeding fb pendimethalin 1.0 kg/ha fb azimsulfuron 17.5 g/ha + bispyribac 25 g/ha (tank mixed) at 15 DAS fb 1 HW which resulted in improved growth and yield attributes and yield of rice. Amongst rice planting methods, conventional tillage normal spacing (R × R −18 cm) and conventional tillage paired row (9-27-9 cm) were able to compete with weeds more as compared to other rice planting methods resulting in lower weed density and weed biomass, enhanced rice growth and yield attributing characters and yield.

Oxadiazon Dissipation in Water and Topsoil in Flooded and Dry-Seeded Rice Fields

The aim of the present study was to assess the behavior of oxadiazon in topsoil and waters of paddy fields cultivated according to the two rice seeding systems: conventional water seeding (CON) and dry seeding (DRY). The study was carried out from 2012 to 2013 in Vercelli, north-west of Italy, the most important rice growing area of Europe. Variations in oxadiazon concentrations were studied over time in topsoil, paddy water, inlet water and outlet water. Over the two years, the estimated oxadiazon topsoil half-life was 3.27 days, without significant differences between systems and years. Oxadiazon dissipation in the paddy water was rapid during the first week, but less pronounced late in the season. Residues of oxadiazon were frequently detected in inlet waters. Transfer of oxadiazon residues in outlet waters occurred over all the growing seasons, with important peaks in the first weeks after the treatment. A possible way to reduce the transfer of oxadiazon to water bodies could be increasing the residence time of the herbicide in the paddy fields during the first 7–10 days after spraying, avoiding the release of water from them.