Kumar Virender

Biography

Virender’s work at IRRI is focused on developing integrated weed management solutions in rice-based cropping systems, with special emphasis on direct-seeded rice systems. His research group is working on various integrated solutions, including: (1) managing the weed seedbank; (2) identifying high-yielding and weed competitive cultivars; (3) studying the ecology and biology of rice weeds to identify weak points in their life cycle; (4) developing sustainable solutions for emerging problematic weed species, including weedy rice; (5) manipulating agronomic and cultural practices to shift crop-weed competition in favor of rice; (6) optimizing flooding depth, timing, and duration for anaerobic germination (AG)-tolerant rice; (7) mechanical weeding; (8) herbicide resistance management; (9) identifying new herbicides/tank mixtures with wide-spectrum weed control ability and improving efficacy, safety, and efficiency; and (10) developing ICT-based decision support tools for weed identification and for making accurate weed management recommendations. Virender’s research interests also include conservation agriculture, cropping system design to develop innovative and resource-efficient, diversified, and profitable cropping systems. He has published more than 30 scientific papers in refereed journals.

Research Interest

Crop and Environmental Sciences