A Weed Wiper developed by scientists at the Kerala Agriculture University has been awarded a patent. The invention of the KAU weed Wiper provided a new direction for curbing the growth of weed rice (Vari in local terms) in the paddy fields of the state. Between cultivated rice and wild rice, weedy rice is a product of natural hybridization.
The morphological and biochemical similarities between weed rice and cultivated rice render herbicide control and hand weeding ineffective.
Therefore, the infestation of weedy rice has become a serious threat to the rice fields of Kerala. Many farmers have abandoned rice cultivation due to serious infections and subsequent reduction in yield by 50-70%.
The technology has been transferred to the state-owned enterprise Raidco Kerala and the products are available in the market. This novel wiper device is part of the doctoral program of Nimmy Jose, a scientist at KAU's Moncompu Rice Research Station.
The research conducted by her under the guidance of CT Abraham, former Professor and Head, All India Coordinated Research Project on Weed Control, KAU, may also standardize the integrated management strategy of highly persistence weedy rice in paddy fields. This research program won the Best PhD Thesis 2015 award from the Indian Society for Weed Science.
About 55-60 days after sowing, weed rice is usually 15-30 cm taller than cultivated rice. The weed wiper uses this height difference to ensure that the herbicide is selectively applied to the rice weeds, thereby eliminating them. Because the technology makes restricted application without contaminating the soil or crops, the equipment has quickly become popular among farmers
About KAU
Situated in Vellanikkara, Thrissur, Kerala, the University has seven colleges (4 Agriculture, 1 Agricultural Engineering, 1 Forestry, 1 Co-operation Banking & Management), six RARSs, seven KVKs, 15 Research Stations and 16 Research and Extension Units under the faculties of Agricultural Engineering and Forestry.
