Although many pests constrain rice production, weeds are considered to be the major barrier to achieving optimal yields. A predictive model based on naturally occurring mixed-species infestations in the field would enable growers to target the specific weed group that is the greatest contributor to yield loss, but as of now no such models are available. In 2013 and 2014, two empirical hyperbolic models were tested using the relative cover at canopy closure of groups of weed species as independent variables: grasses, sedges, broadleaves, grasses and sedges combined, grasses and broadleaves combined, and all weed species combined. Models were calibrated using data from experiments conducted at the California Rice Experiment Station, in Biggs, CA, and validated across four sites over 2 years, for a total of 7 site-year combinations. Of the three major weed groups, grasses, sedges, and broadleaves, the only groups positively related to yield loss in the multispecies infestation were grasses. At the model calibration site, grasses and sedges combined best predicted yield loss (corrected Akaike information criterion [AICc]=−21.5) in 2013, and grasses alone best predicted yield loss (AICc=−19.0) in 2014. Across the validation sites, the model using grasses and sedges combined was the best predictor in 5 out of 7 site-years. Accuracy of the predicted values at the model validation sites ranged from 6% mean average error to 17% mean average error. No single model and set of parameters accurately predicted losses across all years and locations, but relative cover of grasses and sedges combined at canopy closure was the best estimate over the most sites and years.

Reclamation of saline lands seems difficult for climatic and economic reasons, but cultivation of salt-tolerant plants is an approach to increasing productivity and improvement of salt-affected wastelands. A five-year field study was conducted to evaluate the effects of growing a salt-tolerant species Leptochloa fusca (L.) Kunth (kallar grass) on chemical properties of a saline sodic soil irrigated with poor quality groundwater. Soil salinity, sodicity and pH decreased exponentially by growing kallar grass as a result of leaching of salts from surface (0–20 cm) to lower depths (>100 cm). Concentrations of soluble cations (Na+, K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+) and anions (Cl−, SO42− and HCO3−) were reduced through to greater soil depths. A significant decline in soil pH was attributed to release of CO2 by grass roots and solublization of CaCO3. Both soil salinity and soil pH were significantly correlated with Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Cl−, HCO3− and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR). Significant correlations were found between soluble cations (Na+, Ca2+ and K+), soluble anions (Cl−, SO42− and HCO3−) and the SAR. In contrast, there were negative correlations between soil organic matter content and all chemical properties. The ameliorative effects on the soil chemical environment were pronounced after three years of growing kallar grass. Cultivation of kallar grass enhanced leaching and interactions among soil chemical properties and thus restored soil fertility. The soil maintained the improved characteristics with further growth of the grass up to five years suggesting that growing salt-tolerant plants is a sustainable approach to biological amelioration of saline wastelands.