Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 7626 IREC Farmers' Newsletter No. 195 ­ – Rice R&D 2016 Graham Brodie, Muhammad Jamal Khan and Sally Foletta Melbourne School of Land and Environment, Melbourne University, Dookie Campus R ESEARCH has shown that microwave energy can kill weed seeds in the soil. Experiments have demonstrated that raising the soil temperature above 800 C will kill seeds of wheat, ryegrass, rubber vine (Cryptostegia grandiflora R.Br.), parthenium (Parthenium hysterophorous L.), bellyache bush (Jatropha gossypiifolia L.), prickly paddy melon (Cucumis myriocarpus), wild oats (Avena fatua L.), white clover (Trifolium repens), and hemlock (genus Tsuga). Recent studies have also indicated that microwave treatment of soil may also enhance subsequent crop growth and yield. In fully replicated pot trials, the mean grain yields for wheat, canola and rice were 90%, 250% and 60% higher than the hand-weeded control pots, respectively; however these results are based only on pot experiments with no addition of nutrient to the soil. This report outlines the results of a recent rice field trial, where the soil was treated by microwave before the crop was planted. Microwaving rice soil A field experiment was undertaken at the Dookie College Campus of The University of Melbourne, east of Shepparton, Victoria. The experiment evaluated the effect of microwave irradiation of soil on weed emergence, plant growth and yield of rice. With increasing demand for more efficient and sustainable crop production, microwave treatment of soil has the potential to be a chemical-free weed management strategy. QUICK TAKE l  Microwave treatment of soil has been shown to be effective for killing weed seeds of a number of weeds, including seeds from previous crops and pastures. l  Rice growth throughout the season and grain yield at harvest were significantly higher in microwave-treated plots. l  With further development of the technique, microwave treatment has the potential to be a non-chemical weed management strategy for rice crops. l Comparison of microwave treated plot (left) with control plot (right) TRIALLING MICROWAVE-BASED WEED MANAGEMENT FOR RICE