Effects of Salinity on Rice and Rice Weeds: Short- and Long-Term Adaptation Strategies and Weed Management

Abstract Rice ( Oryza sativaL.) is an important staple crop that feeds more than one half of the world’s population. Salinityhas been a key abiotic plant stress damaging crop production worldwide. Rice, as the most sensitive cereal crop to salinity, is particularly at risk to salinitystress due to crop irrigation and flooding weed controlpractices. Understanding the cause and related consequences of salinityon rice growth and yield will enhance our ability to counteract its negative effects through short- or long-term adaptation strategies. In addition, weedcompetition and management is one of the major constraints of rice production due to environmental selection of saline-tolerant, troublesome weedspecies over time. Thus, weedpopulation dynamics and composition in salineenvironments is different compared with traditional rice cultivated environments. These issues will be addressed in this chapter in an attempt to highlight the most important factors and challenges, as well as suggest short- and long-term adaptation strategiesin this complex production system. Information provided in this chapter may also aid in evaluating the potential rice yield loss from weedsand in developing efficacious weed controlmethods under salineenvironments.