Integrated Weed Management In Zero-Till Direct Seeded Rice

Rice (Oryza sativa L.)is the most important cereal crop of the world as it forms the staple diet of 70 per cent of the world’s population.In recent yearsdue to severe water and labour scarcity farmers are changing their rice establishment method from transplanting to direct seeding.In Direct Seeded Rice weeds are the main biological constraint.Herbicides are used to manage weeds in Direct seeded rice system but the use of herbicides alone does not provide effective and sustainable weed control. Therefore there is a need to integrate herbicide use with cultural weed management approaches such as use of stale seedbed technique different tillage systems weed-competitive cultivars cultivars capable of emerging under anaerobic conditions crop residue for mulches high seeding rates narrow rows and optimum time and depth of flooding.In DSR systems herbicide use is must and their use is likely to increase further with the rising labour scarcity