A reminder that the requirement to plant a class of CCIA Certified Seed (foundation, registered or certified) or seed that has been inspected and passed their Quality Assurance program remains in place. Planting clean seed, free from weedy rice, is one of the most important measures to control the spread of this important pest in California rice. 

Weedy rice is one of the most prevalent and damaging weed pests in the U.S. reducing yields by an estimated six percent across the country. 

Currently, no herbicides are registered in California to control the weed, leaving clean seed programs, rouging and fallowing as the only options to combat the problem. 

Last year, weedy rice was observed on over 2,200 acres in the Sacramento Valley, according to UC Cooperative Extension.