During 1985 to 1989, a series of field experiments were conducted at the Rice Research Station in Crowley, LA. Path analysis was employed to evaluate the competitive interaction between a weed (red rice) and cultivated rice (Mars). The path analysis quantified direct effects of red rice and Mars rice densities on the yield components (grain weight, percent filled florets, number of florets panicle−1, and panicles plant−1) of red rice and Mars rice. The model illustrated the direct and indirect effects of the yield components on fecundity and grain yield plant−1. The direct effects of Mars and red rice densities on panicles plant−1 and florets panicle−1 were always negative. In contrast, the effects of density on percent filled florets and grain weight varied from positive to negative and were relatively small, implying that they were determined primarily by density-independent factors. Path analysis indicated that the number of panicles plant−1 and florets panicle−1 were the most important yield components determining the responses of fecundity and grain yield to competition.
