This review seeks to describe the complete set of circumstances leading to the sudden invasiveness of weedy rice in Southeast Asia. The main finding is that weedy rice, like its wild ancestor, the common wild rice, is likely endemic to deepwater rice areas in Southeast Asia. Its recent ecological success in the wider region is based primarily on introgression of photoperiod insensitive trait from modern rice varieties. This has resulted in the removal of reproductive control by daylength in weedy rice, which broadens its adaptive capacity and increases hybridization opportunities. The paddy field environment favorable to weedy rice is created by modern crop management practices—from land preparation to direct seeding, combine harvesting, and chemical weed control. The arrival of modern rice technology at the end of the twentieth century has brought economic and social benefits to Southeast Asia, and also an unintended harm to rice production with invasive weedy rice. Weedy rice control should benefit from a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms driving its sudden invasiveness and spread.
Jamjod, S., Maneechote, C., Pusadee, T. et al. Emergence of invasive weedy rice in Southeast Asia. A review. Agron. Sustain. Dev. 45, 23 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-025-01018-1
