Weed composition and distribution under reduced water condition In KADA rice fields

Abstract

Rice is the third most important crop in Malaysia. It is mainly grown in the eight granaries in Peninsular Malaysia covering an area of about 369,273 ha (MCA, 2013). One of the main granary areas is KADA (38,641 ha) in Kelantan. However, many rice fields in KADA region are experiencing water shortage problems. These reduced water conditions are more conducive for weed growth (Moody and De Datta, 1982), thus making their control more difficult. A survey was conducted in three selected rice fields areas in KADA region; namely Bachok, Kota Bharu, and Pasir Puteh. It is aimed to identifying weed composition and distribution in rice fields, studying weed growth response and population dynamics and evaluating herbicides performance and its efficacy under different water conditions in rice fields. Such information on the temporal changes of the weed species composition is important to formulate the appropriate weed control strategies to produce optimum yields.