More weeding controls rice field weeds but not final harvest size
Crop Improvement
If you grow rice or any row crop, this suggests that chasing weeds on an aggressive schedule may be satisfying but won't necessarily boost your yield if the crop is already holding its own.
Farmers growing rice often fight a tough weed called barnyard grass, which competes with the crop for space and nutrients. Researchers tested two planting methods (traditional plowing versus no-till) combined with different weeding schedules to see what worked best. Weeding more often early on did knock back the weeds, but surprisingly it didn't translate into taller plants, more grain heads, or a bigger harvest either way.
Key Findings
Water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) was the most dominant weed early in the season, reaching 35.35% dominance
Weeding at 20, 40, and 60 days after transplanting (the most intensive schedule tested) suppressed weed dominance but had no effect on rice growth or yield in either tillage system
Tillage system (conventional vs. no-till) showed no significant effect on tiller number, plant height, panicle count, or harvested grain weight at 20, 40, and 60 days after transplanting
chevron_right Technical Summary
A rice field study in Indonesia found that weeding four times during the growing season cut down weed dominance but didn't actually change how much rice farmers harvested, whether fields were plowed or left untilled.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
DOMINANSI GULMA JAJAGOAN TERHADAP PERTUMBUHAN DAN HASIL PADI SAWAH DENGAN SISTEM BUDIDAYA DAN FREKUENSI PENYIANGAN
Kendala utama dalam budidaya padi sawah yaitu keberadaan gulma berdaya saing tinggi, khususnya Echinochloa crus galli, karena dapat menghambat pertumbuhan dan hasil tanaman. Perubahan sistem budida...
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