In Israel, an intensive modern agriculture has developed under difficult ecological constraints. The climate is characterized by two distinct seasons – a cool, rainy winter and a hot, dry summer. In winter, there are often temporary excesses of rain, causing erosion and preventing regular cultivation of fields; and in summer the soil dries out, and intensive cropping is only possible with irrigation. However, water is scarce and rationed directly by maximizing irrigation efficiency, and indirectly by controlling weeds, which compete for soil moisture.