EFFECT OF WEEDS AND THEIR MANAGEMENT IN TRANSPLANTED RICE ? A REVIEW

Rice is grown mainly as a wetland crop by transplanting seedlings into puddled fields. Conventional transplanting is the most common practice of rice cultivation in South and South East Asia. Weeds grow profusely in the rice fields and reduce crop yields drastically. Normally the loss in yield ranges between 15-20%, yet in severe cases the yield losses can be more than 50%, depending upon the species and intensity of weeds. Weed flora under transplanted condition is very much diverse and consists of grasses, sedges and broad-leaved weeds causing yield reduction of rice crop up to 76 %. In this paper, we will summarize and review possible effect of weeds on rice and cultural, mechanical and chemical weed management methods on growth, yield, labour saving and economics of rice for future research