Asked by shawda

How does flooding rice fields reduce the need for herbicides and pesticides in rice farming?
a.
While rice has a submerged growth state, most weeds and pests do not.
b.
Flooding the fields causes the soil to degrade so weeds cannot take root.
c.
Residual herbicides and pesticides from previous seasons dissolve in the water.
d.
All of the above

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
a.

Rice is adapted to grow in flooded (anaerobic) conditions that most weeds and many pests cannot tolerate, so standing water suppresses weed germination and some pest life cycles. Options b and c are incorrect—flooding doesn’t “degrade” soil to prevent weeds, nor is dissolving old residues the reason herbicide/pesticide use is reduced.