Effect of crop establishment methods and weed management on direct-seeded basmati rice

Abstract

This study evaluated the interaction between three crop establishment methods and four weed management regimes on basmati rice at Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China, during kharif 2022. Transplanted rice with integrated weed management (TPR × Integrated) produced the highest grain yield (6.12 t/ha), but wet direct-seeded rice with integrated management (Wet-DSR × Integrated) achieved 5.78 t/ha with 42 % lower labour cost. Weed density ranged from 8.3 to 187.3 plants/m² across treatments, and weed control efficiency reached 92-94 % under integrated management. Pre- plus post-emergence herbicides combined with one hand weeding provided the best balance of weed suppression and economic return across all establishment methods.