Integrated weed management in rice: training of trainers modules

Abstract

In India, weeds are responsible for about 33% of total yield losses caused by pests, whereas insects and diseases are responsible for 26% and 20%, respectively. Weeds interfere with crops by competing for light, water, nutrients and space resulting in reduction of crop yield and quality. The yield reduction in any crop through weed competition depends on several factors such as weed flora and density, duration of competition, management practices and climatic conditions. Therefore, timely weed management is crucial for attaining optimal grain yield of a crop. However, none of the single weed control methods are effective for all weeds and to manage weeds effectively and sustainably in the long run, it is essential to develop and deploy flexible integrated weed management (IWM) practices. IWM consists of physical, cultural, chemical, and biological means developed on knowledge of weed ecology and biology. In addition, costs involved in weed management constitute a significant share of total cost of production. Weeds have also become major constraints in adoption of new resource-efficient (labor, water, and tillage) technologies such as direct-seeded rice and reduced/zero-till systems. In eastern India, hand weeding has traditionally been the most common practice of weed control in rice and other cereals crops. In recent years, because of rising scarcity of labor and increasing labor wages, farmers have started adopting herbicides for weed control. However, farmers have limited knowledge on proper herbicide handling, selection of herbicide molecules and their time of application, application technologies for better efficacy, and environmental and human health risks associated with their incorrect use. Therefore, there is a need to train and develop master trainers with a strong understanding of IWM, who will help to pass on this knowledge on to farmers. This training module covers critical topics on the principles and practices of IWM, in the context of Indian agriculture, where the majority of farmers are smallholders. Strong emphasis has been placed on hands-on learning and learning by experience. This module aims to provide guidance to the training facilitators to conduct rapid two-day trainings on IWM, including step-by-step detailed instructions on how to facilitate the training, training materials required for successfully conducting different sessions, and instructions on how to conduct hands-on trainings, field visits and practical sessions. IWM principles can be better learned through multiple training sessions combined with practical sessions, or as part of a farmer field school than a single classroom session covering different aspects of IWM. Hence, while this module covers five training sessions that can be conducted consecutively over two days, they can also be delivered as individual modules, for example, during a season-long farmer field school.