Abstract:
The objectives of this research were to investigate: 1) the causes of weedy rice; and 2) to find the proper solutions to manage the weedy rice problem for the farmers in Limklonglumplatiw. This research was a participatory action research and there were 10 farmers who were affected by the weedy rice problem, weed specialist, agricultural extensionist, and the researcher. The process of the research started from examine the weedy rice problem in the community, designed the data collection methods and collected the data in the area, analyzed the cause of the weedy rice problem and return the analyzation to the community to find the solution to the weedy rice problem by brainstorming. The solutions from brainstorming were tested and the participations summarized the result of the process. There were 3 research instruments used in this research which were focus group, semi-structured interview and nonparticipant observation. The results of the study revealed that the causes of weedy rice outbreaks included 1) the use of rice seeds from low-quality sources; 2) weedy rice carried by the rice farming tools preparation and the rice harvesting machines; and 3) continually planting only rice for too long. The proper solutions to the weedy rice problem for the farmers in Limklonglumplatiw were: 1) to clean their agricultural tools; 2) to lure the weedy rice to grow first before planting the rice; 3) to raise ducks in the paddy field; 4) to use the seeds that were certified by the Rice Department; and 5) to pluck and cut the weedy rice. The result from testing the solution to the weedy rice management shown that the amount of weedy rice decreased from 50 percent to 20 percent in the paddy field.