 This is witty rice You might think, are they weeds or are they rice? Witty rice plants are in fact witty forms of rice that are closely related to cultivated rice Witty rice is a serious threat in rice directly sown in the field rather than in transplanted rice Unlike in transplanted rice, direct seeded fields are not flooded early and more weed species are likely to infest the fields Once fields are infested with witty rice, the costs of control can be very high In recent years, witty rice has invaded the world's major rice growing areas including North and South America, the Caribbean and Asia Witty rice has become a major threat to rice fields in different parts of Sri Lanka where more than 90% of farmers practice direct seeding In Kaduwa-Duwa-Yaya, 10 to 15 acres of land have been completely abandoned due to witty rice in the past 10 to 12 years In Ampara district, we can see only 2 to 4 or maximum 5 varieties but here, we can see more than 10 to 12 varieties Now, even in Matara district, witty rice is spread everywhere Witty rice grows alongside conventional rice, making it difficult to see and deal with Witty rice is unpredictable. It can be taller or shorter than or as tall as cultivated rice Witty rice can have closed or open panicles Flag leaves can be erect or droopy. Ons can be absent, short or long A unique feature of witty rice is that the grains shed easily and fall to the ground rather than being harvested and the seeds have variable dormancy, so they remain in the soil and germinate at different times What makes witty rice a serious threat is that it is very competitive with cultivated rice Witty rice has very vigorous growth compared with cultivated rice There is much crop lodging in witty rice which causes further losses This also makes it harder to harvest the crop either manually or by using machines We are unable to uproot witty rice nor can we cut it We cannot hire laborers since the costs are too high The growth of witty rice is so vigorous that the sunlight does not fall onto the lower layers of the crop As a result, there may be a high rate of fungi and insect infestations These infestations are hard to control because of this taller witty rice As of now, no single management technique can effectively control witty rice It is very important to prevent witty rice seeds from being introduced into uncontaminated fields To prevent witty rice, avoid using rice seeds contaminated with witty rice Use clean seeds from a known source or certified seeds Take care to thoroughly clean machinery for land preparation or harvesting if it is coming from infested fields Better yet, avoid using this machinery Clean canals because witty rice seeds can be introduced into irrigation water If you find witty rice in your fields at the heading and flowering stages Cut the plants and leave them in the field At later stages, it is better to remove witty rice panicles by hand from the field Dr. Anuru Abe-Sakera is a senior weed scientist and head of the Plant Protection Division at the Department of Agriculture's Rice Research and Development Institute in Sri Lanka She has been studying witty rice to learn how to control it and reduce losses in yield Witty rice seeds can survive even for about seven years After harvesting in infested fields, stubble and a thin layer of straw over the soil should be burned to destroy witty rice seeds on the soil surface To reduce the witty rice seed bank in the soil After early rains or irrigation, allow the witty rice seeds to germinate before sowing the crop Once these witty rice seedlings are well developed, either cultivate the soil or use glyphosate or paraquat to destroy the witty rice seedlings Since soil seed banks can be large, a farmer may need to repeat this process over two to three seasons It is easier to control witty rice in transplanted rice than in directly sown crops because of differences in the growth stage of rice that allows early flooding In directly sown crops, witty rice can be more easily detected if the crop is sown in straight lines In some countries, pre-germinated rice seed is sown into flooded fields called water seeding as this suppresses the germination of the witty rice while cultivated rice emerges This farmer has been successful in controlling witty rice in his field Witty rice can be controlled at the plowing stage, at seedling stage, at heading stage, and when mature grains are present During land preparation, I sometimes spray herbicide to kill witty rice After 20 to 25 days, I irrigate the fields and then subsequently drain them Once the witty plants appear, I plow the fields to kill the seedlings Without using herbicides, one can plow the fields and then drain them and the seedlings that are growing can be destroyed during the second plowing Water control is very important to suppress witty rice growth in the crop We can divert water using pipes and control the water flow using high bunds Cleaning weeds from field bunds and drains is also important We farmers have to control witty rice as a group in all our fields Not just in individual fields, otherwise it invades again from infested fields Controlling witty rice is no easy task Studies are continuing Different management techniques are needed Farmers must work together Prevention is key and it starts with being aware of this problem weed Using good seeds and preventing the weed from multiplying All these are ingredients for weeding out witty rice