Rice farmers across Asia are getting a new answer to weeds that outsmarted every spray

Rice is the staple food for more than half the world's people, and one of its toughest enemies is a weed: barnyard grass has evolved to survive the most common weedkillers, with more than 190 resistant cases documented in rice fields worldwide. Now there's a counter-move — a new ingredient called Cyclopyranil, developed by Japan's Kyoyu Agri, that wipes out resistant weeds even at low doses and works whether sprayed before or after they sprout. Through a new partnership, Syngenta will carry it to rice markets across Asia, giving farmers a fresh tool to protect their harvests as resistance keeps spreading.