Herbicide Tolerant Rice

Farmers rely on a combination of methods to control weeds. These include herbicide application, crop rotation and agricultural practices like flooding and tilling, the latter being not ecologically sound as it encourages soil erosion. Using herbicide resistant rice varieties are advantageous to farmers. Land use would be more efficient, there will be lesser inputs required from the farmers (e.g. soil tilling and herbicide application) and lesser competition for soil nutrients could greatly encourage the growth of rice.

These rice varieties work in a similar manner to herbicide-tolerant soybean. They contain a gene that provides resistance to one of two broad spectrum, environmentally benign herbicides.