Integrated weed management in rice

Weeds are one of the major constraints in rice production systems. The development and adoption of proper integrated weed management strategies must form an integral part of sustainable rice production. An integrated weed management is defined as combinations of two or more weed control measures at low inputs in order to reduce weed competition in rice below an economical threshold level. Use of preventive methods and cultural practices such as crop simulation through nutrient application, method of rice sowing, planting time, plant population, and weed competitive cultivars have been recommended for minimizing impact of weeds on crop yield. The use of herbicide rotation, herbicide-resistant crops, bioherbicides, and their integration with hand tools or agricultural implements should be encouraged for better weed control efficiency

Beneficial soil microbiome for sustainable agricultural production

The projected increase in world population and the need to reduce the reliance on non-renewable inputs, such as synthetic agrochemicals, are challenging the current vision of agriculture. In particular, to achieve a fair and sustainable global food security, disruptive changes in crop production are unavoidable. A promising strategy proposes to exploit the metabolic capabilities of soil microbial communities, i.e., the microbiome, to conjugate stable yield with reduced impact on the agroecosystem. In this chapter, we introduce the microbiome populating the root-soil interface from an evolutionary perspective. Next, we discuss the molecular bases of plant-microbe interactions in soil and how these interactions impact plant growth, development and health. We illustrate how plant-probiotic members of the microbiome can be isolated from soil and further characterized for their biological activities, a key pre-requisite for translational applications. In addition, we focus on paradigmatic examples of soil microbes turned into inoculants for agriculture, their fate on soil, their impact on the native microbiome and the beneficial effects exerted on crop productio