Weeding Frequencies Decreased Rice–Weed Competition and Increased Rice N Uptake in Organic Paddy Field

Abstract

Different weeding frequencies (WFs)―0WF, 2WF, 4WF, 6WF, and 8WF―were adopted in an organic rice field to investigate their influence on weed types, rice and weed biomass, rice tiller and weed number, N concentration, and N uptake. The study field was located in Tsuruoka, Yamagata, Japan. Rice (cv. Sasanishiki) was planted from May to September 2019, and all weeding events were carried out until 49 days after transplantation (DAT) using a rotary weeder. Rice and weed samples were collected at 60, 88, and 110 DAT. Echinochloa crus-galli (E. crus-galli), Schoenoplectus juncoides, and Monochoria vaginalis (Burm. f.) were the most commonly found weeds. High weed diversity was observed at both 6WF and 8WF, E. crus-galli was the dominant weed at 0WF. Compared to 0WF, 2WF displayed a significantly decreased weed biomass. However, at 8WF, the weed biomass was reduced by 79.0%, the rice biomass was increased by 277%, and the rice tiller number was almost three times higher than that at 0WF and 110 DAT. Compared to 0WF, a significantly increased rice N uptake was observed at 4WF, and rice N uptakes achieved at 6WF and 8WF were two and four times higher than those at 0WF, respectively. Higher weeding frequencies provide notable benefits in suppressing weeds and supporting rice growth, especially in N uptake competition with weeds.