Herbicide Strategies for Effective Weed Control in Drip-Irrigated Rice Fields in Türkiye

Abstract

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) remains a cornerstone of global food security, supplying a substantial share of daily caloric intake for billions of people. In T & uuml;rkiye, rice cultivation is expanding steadily; however, rising challenges from climate change and water scarcity threaten its sustainability. Drip irrigation systems, offering improved water and energy efficiency, have emerged as a viable alternative to traditional methods. This two-year field study evaluated the effectiveness of fourteen herbicide programs in managing weed populations in drip-irrigated rice fields planted with the 'Osmanc & imath;k-97' rice variety. Key weed species included Amaranthus retroflexus, Chenopodium album, Portulaca oleracea, Setaria viridis, Sorghum halepense, Cyperus rotundus, Xanthium strumarium, and Convolvulus arvensis. Initial findings revealed that combining pre-emergence herbicide applications with two sequential post-emergence treatments achieved more than 90% weed control, significantly enhancing yield outcomes. Among all tested programs, Programs 6 [500 g/L Pretilachlor (16-20 DAT), 250 g/L Quinclorac (16-20 DAT), 160 g/L Cyhalofop-butyl + 12 g/L Florpyrauxifen-benzyl (16-20 DAT), 200 g/L Cyhalofop-butyl (16-20 DAT), 250 g/L Quinclorac (35-40 DAT], 7 [300 g/L Pretilachlor + 20 g/L Pyribenzoxim (16-20 DAT), 250 g/L Quinclorac (16-20 DAT), 160 g/L Cyhalofop-butyl + 12 g/L Florpyrauxifen-benzyl (16-20 DAT), 200 g/L Cyhalofop-butyl (18-20 DAT), 250 g/L Quinclorac (35-40 DAT)], and 10 [300 g/L Pretilachlor + 20 g/L Pyribenzoxim (16-20 DAT), 250 g/L Quinclorac (16-20 DAT), 20 g/L Penoxsulam + 12.5 g/L Florpyrauxifen-benzyl (16-20 DAT), 200 g/L Cyhalofop-butyl (18-20 DAT), 250 g/L Quinclorac (35-40 DAT)] demonstrated superior performance, resulting in yields up to 6540 kg/ha. Conversely, untreated plots suffered from severe weed infestation, causing yields to drop to as low as 280 kg/ha. These results underscore the critical role of integrated herbicide strategies tailored for drip-irrigated rice systems. Further investigations into long-term sustainability, including resistance management and integrated weed control approaches, are warranted.