Rice Farming May 2023

DISCOVERY A hopeful

Discovery could lead to new fungicides to protect rice crops

Layers to success

I am constantly amazed by the immense dedication and sheer intelligence people in agriculture embody. From brilliant geneticists to some of the hardest working advisors, farmers, and Extension individuals out there, I have a ton of respect. Agriculture is such a layered industry, and I cannot imagine it progressing without them.

Within the layers lies the excitement of discovery. Pages eight through 10 highlight a potential solution to blast disease in rice. The article states that each year, blast disease, caused by the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae, attacks and kills plants that represent between 10% and 35% of the global rice crop, depending on weather conditions. University of California, Berkeley, biochemists led by Michael Marletta, professor of chemistry and of molecular and cell biology, discovered that the fungus secretes an enzyme that punches holes in the tough outer layer of rice leaves. Once inside, the fungus rapidly grows and inevitably kills the plant.

Another component comes with funding that helps produce the research needed for success. Pages 11 through 13 discuss two different collaborators of a new, United States Department of Agriculture-funded grant. Louisiana State University is the lead institution for the project and has Texas A&M AgriLife as one of its collaborators. The Texas A&M AgriLife team is looking to take on rice smut with its portion of the grant. “We will equip the current and next generation of rice farmers, consultants, and researchers with the necessary knowledge and skillset to embrace the new climate-smart agriculture technologies and production practices,” said Prasanta Subudhi, the lead investigator of the project and a crop geneticist in the LSU AgCenter School of Plant, Environmental, and Soil Sciences.

Along with this year’s Rice Consultant of the Year nomination form (nominate a deserving consultant today!), page 14 includes information and results from rice cultivar trials conducted in Bootheel Missouri. These trials evaluated both grain and milling yields. Agronomic measures, including canopy height, lodging potential, disease incidence, and days to maturity, are also measured, said MU Extension rice specialist Justin Chlapecka.

This month’s Industry News on page seven features a message from Zippy Duvall, American Farm Bureau Federation president, as he emphasizes the importance of the new Farm Bill. From the perspective of looking back to the start of the #StillFarming campaign, Duvall emphasizes the importance of having the American people’s interest in and understanding of the upcoming Farm Bill.

I hope we all find something thought-provoking among or between all the layers that make up this constantly moving industry!

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Editor Cassidy Nemec cnemec@onegrower.com

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Cassidy Nemec Editor

2023 Rice Awards Nomination Form

The Rice Farmer of the Year, Rice Industry Award and Rice Lifetime Achievement Award recognize those rice leaders who have demonstrated dedication, determination and innovation to the industry. We need your help to identify candidates who are worthy of these prestigious awards. Please take time to consider which industry members in your area should be recipients of these honors and mail or scan/email this form and supporting materials or go to ricefarming.com/ra to nominate online.

Categories:

Please check the box of the appropriate award category:

 Rice Farmer of the Year Award

■ Must farm at least 200 acres.

■ A farmer who has successfully achieved goals in his/her farming operation, rice industry association, community leadership/development, innovative production practices and/or environmental stewardship.

 Rice Industry Award

■ Has been in the rice industry for more than five years.

■ A researcher, Extension person, government/association leader, etc... who has demonstrated commitment to the rice industry through innovative practices, industry association, community leadership/development.

 Rice Lifetime Achievement Award

■ Has been in the rice industry for more than 10 years.

■ An industry leader who has provided great contributions to the rice industry through industry associations, community leadership/development, innovative practices/projects that have advanced the industry.

Deadline: June 30, 2023

If you are submitting more than one nomination form, please make a copy before you fill out the form. Nomination forms can be downloaded or submitted online at ricefarming.com/ra

Nominee’s name

Nominee’s address

Nominee’s phone number/email address

Nominee’s rice acreage (if applicable)

Number of years involved in the rice industry (if applicable)

Your name

Your profession

Your address

Your phone number/email address

Your signature

Date

Please send completed form & supporting materials to: Carroll Smith 7201 Eastern Ave., Germantown, TN 38138

Scan/Email: csmith@onegrower.com Online: ricefarming.com/ra

In addition to completing this form, on a separate piece of paper, please describe the nominee in terms of the following guidelines:

Dedication to farming and/or agriculture and the rice industry, local community and education. Determination to succeed and overcome hurdles that have emerged while trying to reach goals. Innovation to identify new and better ways for the industry to become more profitable, manage risk, achieve a higher level of efficiency.

It also is helpful to send letters of recommendation for the nominee from other individuals in the rice industry who are familiar with his/her accomplishments. A panel of judges from across the Rice Belt will select the recipients of the 2023 Rice Awards.

The award recipients will be honored at the USA Rice Outlook Conference, Dec. 6-8 in Indian Wells, California, where an official presentation will be made at the awards luncheon. They also will be featured in a special salute sponsored by Horizon Ag, USA Rice and Rice Farming magazine in the December 2023 issue.

SPONSORS

By Betsy Ward President and CEO USA Rice

USA Rice Outlook heads to California in 2023

As I write this column, you are no doubt busy in the field and maybe even done planting for the year. I trust you will have a good and safe growing season, and I look forward to visiting this summer during field days and other events. Then, following what we all hope will be a prosperous harvest, I very much hope to see you at our USA Rice Outlook Conference this December — it’s going to be an event like no other.

We will convene in beautiful Indian Wells, California, against the stunning backdrop of the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains, where we expect fantastic weather and a lineup of keynote speakers, breakout sessions, and networking opportunities that promise to be informative, inspirational, and enjoyable.

on food trends and culture, and how rice can seize opportunities as a new generation becomes the driving force of food spending.

We’ll also be offering educational breakout sessions that dive into topics important for farmers, millers, merchants, and food companies alike, from grain quality to data security. On the farm side, sessions will cover the (hopefully completed by then) Farm Bill, ag labor and the H2A/H2B process, farm succession planning, expanding your farm’s income stream, and developments in farmto-restaurant direct marketing platforms — to name a few. Meanwhile, attendees down the value chain will benefit from sessions showcasing the latest consumer research, CRSPR technology, advances in packaging, grain enrichment, transportation, rice-based beverages, and more.

As always, U.S. politics, global rice stocks, and commodity markets will be put under a microscope, and we’ll hear research and outlook reports from seven rice states for 2024. Additionally, breeders and international customers from all over the world will convene at the Fourth Annual U.S. Rice Quality Symposium.

Our keynote speakers are always one of the Outlook Conference’s highlights, and I’m pleased to announce that this year’s speaker is Eve Turow-Paul, a globally recognized author and expert on the intersection of food trends, the digital age, and well-being. As a Forbes contributor and the author of A Taste of Generation Yum: How the Millennial Generation’s Love for Organic Fare, Celebrity Chefs, and Microbrews Will Make or Break the Future of Food, and most recently Hungry: Avocado Toast, Instagram Influencers, and Our Search for Connection and Meaning, Turow-Paul brings a unique perspective

We’ll celebrate excellence in the rice industry as we do every year with the Rice Farming and USA Rice Awards luncheon where we’ll also have the opportunity to meet the new Leadership Development Class. We have a 17,000 square foot Exhibit Hall with more than a few surprises planned — and in an Outlook Conference first, we’ll take advantage of the beautiful weather we’ve ordered and the area’s famous golf courses to hold a golf tournament to benefit The Rice Foundation.

Of course, there will be plenty of networking and catching up with old friends, too. The 2023 USA Rice Outlook Conference is on track to be our best event yet — and the only way it can get better is if you join us — as an attendee, speaker, sponsor, exhibitor, or all of the above! Go to www.usarice.com/outlook for more information or to register.

Have a wonderful summer, and see you in California!

The 2023 USA Rice Outlook Conference will be Dec. 6-8 at Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa in Indian Wells, California.

#StillFarming: Why the Farm Bill matters

Three years ago, Farm Bureau launched our #StillFarming campaign. Our goal was simple: reassure Americans that farmers and ranchers were committed to maintaining a steady food supply at a time when Americans witnessed empty grocery store shelves for the first time in generations and supply chain disruptions made headlines. Farmers and ranchers take pride in rising each day to grow the food, fuel, and fiber we all depend on, and managing risk is critical to keeping food on our tables. We are still farming, for our neighbors near and far, thanks to our public investment in U.S. agriculture through the Farm Bill.

Thanks to risk management programs in the Farm Bill, farmers can hold on through tough times like high inflation, global market turmoil, and natural disasters. We are also building a more sustainable future through conservation programs and agricultural research and helping families facing hunger to keep food on the table through tough times. The Farm Bill matters to all Americans, and 73% of adults recognize there would be a significant impact if the Farm Bill were not reauthorized.

Not many Americans today are familiar with the Farm Bill. To be fair, it’s a big piece of legislation that comes up once every five years. Even in Congress, many lawmakers are new to the Farm Bill as nearly half of them have been elected since the 2018 Bill. The American Farm Bureau recently conducted a survey to understand where public opinion and awareness stands on the Farm Bill and funding for key programs. We found 71% of adults had not read or heard much about the Farm Bill. This was a reminder that we’ve got a lot of work to do.

The good news is when it comes to talking about the Farm Bill, farmers and ranchers are perfect for the job. The American people trust us — nearly nine out of 10 say they trust farmers. That’s higher than any other profession. Americans have not forgotten those empty shelves, and they are counting on our success to keep shelves and pantries full for everyone. Risk management along with nutrition programs came in as top funding priorities among those surveyed.

This affirms what we have said for a long time — the Farm Bill must remain unified. In fact, support for the Farm Bill dropped

Mississippi strong: Communities come together after devastating tornadoes

MFBF President Mike McCormick knows agriculture depends on small towns like Rolling Fork, Mississippi, and now is the time for the agriculture community to stand up and help in this desperate time of need. “We are ready to aid Rolling Fork and all of the other communities impacted by these tornados,” McCormick said. “Rural Mississippi is strong. We are more than just buildings. We are a family.”

MFBF will continue to assess the needs of those affected by the devastating tornados and provide aid where possible. To support these efforts, check donations can be sent to the address below.

Mississippi Farm Bureau Foundation and Relief Fund

Attn: Brent Wilson

P.O. Box 1972

Jackson, MS 39215

“Tornado Relief” should be written on the memo line of all checks. Online donations can be submitted at msfb.org/foundation.

As a 501(c)(3), any contribution made to the Mississippi Farm Bureau Foundation and Relief Fund is tax deductible. Contact Chief Financial Officer Brent Wilson at bewilson@msfb.org or 601-977-4205 with donation questions.

by half when we asked folks if they would still support a Farm Bill that no longer included funding for nutrition programs. The Farm Bill’s nutrition programs provide a critical link to families hundreds and thousands of miles from our farms. America’s farmers and ranchers are proud to grow the food that helps supply billions of meals annually to families facing hunger.

With the added pressures of inflation and rising food costs, we found that most people now see the security of our food supply as critical. Not too long ago, I’d say many took it for granted that we have an abundant supply of American grown products. But following supply chain disruptions and global events like the war between Russia and Ukraine, Americans’ eyes have been opened to how fragile our

food system is. 84% say that, in light of recent disruptions, the U.S. should make our food supply a matter of national security. Simply meaning, we are a stronger country when we can grow our own food.

Farmers and ranchers take great pride in our work—it is truly a calling for us. We show up, rain or shine, to grow and raise safe, sustainable food, fuel, and fiber. We have found our purpose on the farm, and I believe we are still farming because we love the land and this great country. Farmers have America’s back when times are tough, and it’s important for us to know that America has our back and is committed to helping us keep our farms and food supply secure in all seasons. That’s exactly what the Farm Bill achieves.

— Zippy Duvall, AFBF President

DISCOVERY A hopeful

Discovery could lead to new fungicides to protect rice crops.

By Robert Sanders UC Berkeley

Afungus that plagues rice crops worldwide gains entry to plant cells in a way that leaves it vulnerable to simple chemical blockers, a discovery that could lead to new fungicides to reduce the substantial annual losses of rice and other valuable cereals.

Each year, blast disease, caused by the fungal pathogen  Magnaporthe oryzae, attacks and kills plants that represent between 10% and 35% of the global rice crop, depending on weather conditions.

University of California, Berkeley, biochemists led by Michael Marletta, professor of chemistry and of molecular and cell biology, discovered that the fungus secretes an enzyme that punches holes in the tough outer layer of rice leaves. Once inside, the fungus rapidly grows and inevitably kills the plant.

In a paper published recently in the journal  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Marletta and his colleagues describe the structure of the enzyme and how it works to help the fungus invade plants. Because the enzyme is secreted onto the surface of the rice leaf, a simple spray could be e ective in destroying the enzyme’s ability to digest the wall of the plant. e scientists are now screening chemicals to nd ones that block the enzyme.

“ e estimates are that if you could knock out this fungus, you could feed 60 million more people in the world,” said Marletta, the Choh Hao and Annie Li Chair in the Molecular Biology of Diseases at UC Berkeley. “ is enzyme is a unique target. Our hope here is that we’ll screen to nd some unique chemicals and spin out a company to develop inhibitors for this enzyme.”

is target is one of a family of enzymes called polysaccharide monooxygenases (PMO) that Marletta and his UC Berkeley colleagues discovered a little over 10 years ago in another, more widespread fungus,  Neurospora. Polysaccharides are sugar polymers that include starch as well as the tough bers that make plants sturdy, including cellulose and lignin. e PMO enzyme breaks cellulose into smaller pieces, making the polysaccharide susceptible to other enzymes, such as cellulases, and speeding up the breakdown of plant bers.

“ ere is an urgent need for more sustainable control strategies for rice blast disease, particularly in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa,” said Nicholas Talbot, who is Marletta’s colleague and co-author, a plant disease expert and executive director of e Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich in the United Kingdom. “Given

Blast disease destroys between 10% and 35% of the world’s rice harvest each year. A new discovery could lead to fungicides that block the pathogen, Magnaporthe oryzae, from entering the leaves. This photo of a healthy rice field was taken in Chengdu, China, in 2019.

NICHOLAS TALBOT

How blast disease infects rice plants

Within about a week, the spores of the Magnaporthe fungus grow on and invade rice leaves, establish themselves inside and produce more spores to spread the infection across the rice field.

the importance of the polysaccharide monooxygenase to plant infection, it may be a valuable target for developing new chemistries that could be applied at much lower doses than existing fungicides and with less potential environmental impact. It might also be a target for completely chemical-free approaches, too, such as gene silencing.”

Marletta and UC Berkeley Ph.D. students Will Beeson and Chris Phillips were originally interested in these enzymes because they degrade plant cellulose much more quickly than other previously described enzymes and thus had the potential to turn biomass into sugar polymers that can be fermented more readily into biofuels. Fungi use PMOs to provide a source of food.

WILSON AND TALBOT, NATURE REVIEWS MICROBIOLOGY

A field in Changsha, Hunan Province, China, in 2007 that is heavily affected by rice blast disease. The fungus responsible essentially kills every rice plant it infects.

A rice leaf blade infected with the rice blast fungus.

NICHOLAS TALBOT NICHOLAS TALBOT

He and UC Berkeley colleagues subsequently found hints that some fungal PMOs may do more than merely turn cellulose into food. These PMOs were turned on in the early stages of infection, implying that they’re important in the infection process rather than providing food.

That’s what Marletta, Talbot, and their colleagues found. Led by postdoctoral fellow Alejandra Martinez-D’Alto, the UC Berkeley scientists biochemically characterized this unique PMO, called MoPMO9A, while Talbot and Sainsbury Lab postdoctoral fellow Xia Yan showed that knocking out the enzyme reduced infection in rice plants.

Marletta and his UC Berkeley colleagues have found similar PMOs in fungi that attack grapes, tomatoes, lettuce, and other major crops, which means the new findings may have broad application against plant fungal diseases.

“It isn’t just rice that small molecule inhibitors could be used against. They could be widely used against a variety of different crop pathogens,” Marletta said. “I think the future for this, in terms of drug development for plant pathogens, is pretty exciting, which is why we are going to pursue both the fundamental science of it, like we always do, and try to put together pieces to spin it out as a company.”

Biofuels lead the way to attacking fungal pathogen

Marletta specializes in identifying and studying new and unusual enzymes in human cells. But 10 years ago, when people got excited about biofuels as a way to address climate change, he was awarded a grant from UC Berkeley’s Energy Biosciences Institute to search for enzymes in other life forms that digest plant cellulose faster than the enzymes known at the time. The goal was to turn tough cellulose fibers into short-chain polysaccharides that yeast could ferment into fuel.

“I said to two of my first-year graduate students, Chris Phillips and Will Beeson, ‘You know, there’s got to be organisms out there that eat cellulose fast,’” Marletta said. “Those are the ones we want to find, because we know the enzymes that eat it slow, and they’re not particularly useful in a biotechnology sense because they’re slow.”

Phillips and Beeson succeeded in finding fast-acting enzymes in a common fungus,  Neurospora, which is among the first fungi to attack dead trees after a fire and does a quick job of digesting wood for nutrients. They isolated the enzyme responsible, the first known PMO, and described how it worked. Since then, Marletta’s students have identified 16,000 varieties of PMO, most in fungi,

but some in wood-eating bacteria. To date, these have had some success in speeding the production of biofuels as part of a cocktail of other enzymes, though they haven’t made biofuels competitive with other fuels.

But Marletta was intrigued by a small subset of these 16,000 varieties that seemed to do more than provide nutrition for fungi. MoPMO9A, in particular, had an amino acid segment that binds to chitin, a polysaccharide that forms the outer coat of fungi, but is not found in rice. And though all PMOs are secreted, MoPMO9A was secreted during the infectious cycle of the fungus.

Studies subsequently showed that  Magnaporthe concentrates MoPMO9A in a pressurized infection cell, called the appressorium, from which it is secreted onto the plant, with one portion of the enzyme binding to the outside of the fungus. The other end of the enzyme has a copper atom embedded in its center. When the fungus slaps the loose end of the enzyme onto the rice leaf, the copper atom catalyzes a reaction with oxygen to break cellulose fibers, helping the fungus breach the leaf surface and invade the entire leaf.

“We were curious: ‘Hey, why does this enzyme have a chitin-binding domain if it’s supposed to be working on cellulose?’” according to Marletta. “And that’s when we thought, ‘Well, maybe it’s secreted, but it sticks to the fungus. That way, when the fungus is sitting on the plant, it can have between it and the leaf the catalytic domain to punch the hole into the leaf.’”

That proved to be the case. Marletta and Talbot are now testing other pathogens that produce PMOs to see if they use the same trick to enter and infect leaves. If so — Marletta is confident that they do — it opens avenues to attack them with a spray-on fungicide, as well.

“The only place you find PMOs like this is in plant pathogens that have to gain access to their host. So, they’re almost certainly going to be working the same way,” Marletta said. “I think the scope of work to develop inhibitors to this particular PMO is going to be well beyond rice, even though that itself is pretty important. We’re going to be able to use them in other important crop plants.”

Other co-authors of the paper are Alejandra Martinez-D’Alto, Tyler Detomasi, Richard Sayler and William Thomas of UC Berkeley. Marletta is a member of the Berkeley branch of the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3). The research was funded by the National Science Foundation (CHE-1904540, MCB-1818283) and the National Institutes of Health (F32-GM143897).

Microscope images of Magnaporthe as it produces an appressorium — a pressurized adhesion structure — filled with the enzyme MoPMO9A, labeled with green fluorescent protein. When the enzyme is secreted by the fungus, it binds both to the fungus and the plant and catalyzes a reaction that breaches the leaf wall.

NICHOLAS TALBOT

LSU AgCenter receives record rice research grant

By Lori Tyler Gula USDA

The project is one of seven recently announced by NIFA and is funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Sustainable Agricultural Systems (SAS) program, which made a total investment of $70 million in sustainable agricultural projects that integrate research, education and Extension efforts. The goal is to establish robust, resilient, and climate-smart food and agricultural systems.

This innovative program focuses on a broad base of needed research, education, and Extension solutions — from addressing labor challenges and promoting land stewardship to correcting climate change impacts in agriculture and filling critical needs in food and nutrition. The SAS program area is part of NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), designed to improve plant and animal production and sustainability, and human and environmental health. AFRI is the nation’s leading and largest competitive grants program for agricultural sciences. These grants are available to eligible colleges, universities, and other research organizations.

“These research investments will help transform the U.S. food and agricultural system to increase production in sustainable ways as the United Nations projects a world population of 9.8 billion by 2050,” said Acting NIFA Director Dr. Dionne Toombs. “These visionary projects will improve the supply of affordable, safe, nutritious, and accessible agricultural products, while fostering economic development and rural prosperity in America.”

Extreme weather patterns pose challenges

While rice production contributes $550 million to Louisiana’s economy, extreme weather patterns due to climate change pose serious challenges to enhancing productivity. The project outcomes aim to help rice growers in the southern U.S. make the right decisions at the right time to reduce yield losses, land use, water, and energy consumption.

“We will equip the current and next generation of rice farmers, consultants, and researchers with the necessary knowledge and skillset to embrace the new climate-smart agriculture technologies

LSU awarded $10 million grant to improve sustainability and profitability of rice farming through research innovations that advance climate-resilient crops.

Louisiana State University is working to improve sustainability and profitability of rice farming through research innovations that advance climate-resilient crops.

LSU AGCENTER

and production practices,” said Prasanta Subudhi, the lead investigator of the project and a crop geneticist in the LSU AgCenter School of Plant, Environmental, and Soil Sciences.

Knowledge gained from the project will increase the speed and accuracy of identifying rice genotypes with desirable combinations of genes for improved adaptation to a changing climate.

The specific objectives of the project are:

■ to assess the socio-economic and environmental impacts of current crop management practices and identify barriers to adopting novel technologies and practices.

■ to develop novel genotypes with enhanced tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses; develop and optimize environmentally friendly crop management practices.

■ to implement a robust Extension program to disseminate the concepts and benefits of sustainable farming technology.

Collaborating partners

The project’s collaborating institutions include Clemson University, Mississippi State University, Texas A&M AgriLife, and the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. Jai Rohila, a research agronomist for USDA’s Agricultural Research Service based at the Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center in Stuttgart, is also involved in the grant.

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station scientist Stan De Guzman will work to develop rice lines with heat stress tolerance using advanced genetic techniques. The process includes evaluating different rice lines for grain quality and agronomic and physiological traits under drought stress in field conditions using the alternate wetting and drying growing method. He will then work to incorporate those genetic traits into elite rice lines and varieties with drought and heat tolerance.

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station scientist Nick Bateman will conduct a study that monitors the changes in insect pressure when moving from flooded rice to the alternate wetting and drying method for water savings. Bateman said rice water weevil larvae are substantially reduced when moving to alternate wetting and drying. Still, other insects like armyworms, rice billbugs, and chinch bugs are prone to pop up. He will look at environmentally friendly pesticides to control those populations.

“It’s not so much about controlling the insects but controlling the stress,” Bateman said. “Since part of the overall project is to reduce water use, we will be looking at what other insect pressures arise when you take it off a flood.”

Rice is among Arkansas’s top three agricultural commodities, worth approximately $1.2 billion in 2020. According to USDA’s Economic Research Service, the state typically produces 56% to 58% of the nation’s long-grain rice.

Scientists at Mississippi State will develop genetic mapping tools to identify the genes associated with stress tolerance, including projected changes in climate. “Being able to identify these genes will help rice breeders develop climate-resilient cultivars, or plant varieties,” said Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station agronomist Raja Reddy.

Ranking sixth in the nation, Mississippi rice production is a $97 million industry, with over 115,000 farmed acres. In recent years, increasing extremes and unpredictability in weather patterns have begun to threaten the stability of this agricultural commodity.

“Like much of the U.S. Mid-South, Mississippi is seeing greater extremes in our high and low temperatures and greater intensities

of drought during the early season,” Reddy said. “These conditions and higher temperatures during flowering are significant impediments to rice yield and grain quality.”

Reddy said researchers, who collectively have many years of experience studying rice cultivation and breeding, also are planning Extension activities to help growers optimize their resources — particularly water and nutrients — to get the best growth and yield from newly developed cultivars.

The five collaborating institutions are members of the Southern Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors, which represents 15 agricultural research centers at land-grant universities in the southern U.S. Southern region scientists collaborate to conduct research and outreach focused on conserving the region’s natural resources and sustainably feeding a growing global population.

“Southern U.S. rice production is concentrated in Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas, and rice research is a major component of the research portfolios of the agricultural experiment station in these states,” said Michael Salassi, interim LSU AgCenter executive associate vice president and director of the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station. “This grant will provide the many rice scientists across the region the opportunity to work collaboratively to evaluate alternate climate-smart production practices associated with a major U.S. food crop.”

Prasanta Subudhi, LSU AgCenter crop geneticist, received a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop climate-resilient rice.

LSU AGCENTER FILE PHOTO

AgriLife researchers exploring solution for rice kernel smut

USDA-NIFA Sustainable Agricultural Systems rice grant collaboration.

By Blair Fannin Texas A&M AgriLife

While Texas rice growers face a stiff challenge to fend off yield- and profit-limiting kernel smut, Texas A&M AgriLife is quickly working to find a cure as part of a national collaborative research effort.

Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists and Extension Service specialists have joined forces with lead institution Louisiana State University in a project funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture–National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant. The project goal is to improve rice farming sustainability and profitability.

Collaborating institutions include Clemson University, Mississippi State University, Texas A&M AgriLife, and the University of Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station.

AgriLife Research and AgriLife Extension are utilizing $914,850 of the $10 million USDA-NIFA grant as part of an overall project to improve the sustainability and profitability of rice farming through research innovations, implementation of new findings, and education.

“These types of capacity-building grants lay the foundation for future knowledge and solutions,” said Lloyd Wilson, Ph.D., director of the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Beaumont. “Increasing genotypes and discovering resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses sets the stage. Also, we could discover a new chemical compound for suppression. There’s a whole slew of positive applied spinoffs. That’s the beauty of these agencies and institutions working together.”

Tackling rice smut

The research team consists of Xin-Gen “Shane” Zhou, Ph.D., AgriLife Research plant pathologist, Beaumont, and YoungKi Jo, Ph.D., plant pathologist and AgriLife

Extension specialist, Bryan-College Station, both with the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology. The project duration is for four years.

Rice smut is a fungal disease that produces black spores and reduces grain quality, Zhou said. In 2021, thousands of Texas rice acres suffered from kernel smut, resulting in a significant reduction in rice yield and quality.

“We still don’t understand the fungus really well,” Zhou said. “We don’t know the biology of the fungus, and we don’t have an inoculation method to study this pathogen. Therefore, one of the objectives of this project is to understand the genetic diversity and virulence of the kernel smut fungus and develop a reliable and effective inoculation method to induce the development of the disease. Built on the results of these studies, we will screen and identify rice germplasm for resistance to kernel smut.”

Zhou said 2021 was a very wet year and resulted in above-average cases of kernel smut in rice fields. Farmers had to double the number of fungicide treatments than a typical year to reduce the loss caused by the disease.

Researchers will be looking to develop more effective fungicide treatment options, he said.

“The fungus can survive in fields for several years, so it has much, much staying power,” he said. “We also want to get a better understanding of fungicide applications to increase efficacy.”

Sustainable agriculture systems

The grant is part of a larger effort to improve agriculture sustainability.

“Instead of one focus, this grant is a holistic approach to finding sustainable solutions for agriculture for many years down

the line,” Jo said. “Not many people know how much rice is produced in Texas, but we are the fifth largest rice exporter in the global market. We are searching for solutions of how we are going to sustain over the next 10 years, given various challenges from increasing input costs to reduced farmland and climate change.”

The project work also includes investigating new avenues of educating next-generation students of agriculture in the workforce as well as AgriLife Extension education outreach for crop producers.

“Hopefully we will have new data and improve a delivery system to disseminate them to end-users,” he said. “Another aspect is the possibility of developing new management options, which will allow our AgriLife Extension outreach program to share new technologies, tools, and skillsets with growers.”

Xin-Gen “Shane” Zhou, Texas A&M AgriLife Research plant pathologist at Beaumont, will work on smut in rice plants through a larger multi-university research grant.

Submit a nomination for the 2023 Rice Consultant of the Year Award.

Recognize an outstanding consultant for his or her dedication, leadership and innovation in the Mid-South rice industry.

For more information, go to ricefarming.com/rcoy or go toPage 15in this issue of Rice Farming.

MU rice cultivar trial shows stark di erences

By Julie Harker MU Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

University of Missouri Extension has completed its rst year of rice cultivar trials on both ood-irrigated and furrow-irrigated production systems at the MU Fisher Delta Research, Extension, and Education Center in Portageville.

Cultivar trials had been conducted until 2022 solely by the Missouri Rice Research and Merchandising Council in the ood-irrigated system. Last year, the MU Rice Agronomy Program took the lead on these trials in conjunction with the council.

e trials are conducted in the ricegrowing areas of the Bootheel to evaluate not only grain yield but milling yield, which is a quality measure that helps determine the nal payment a rice farmer receives. Agronomic measures, including canopy height, lodging potential, disease incidence, and days to maturity, are also measured, said MU Extension rice specialist Justin Chlapecka.

Submit nominations by July15, 2023.

Trials are arranged in small plots, near 100 square feet per plot, with four replications at each site. In the furrow-irrigated system, a separate four-replication trial is conducted in the top, middle, and bottom thirds of the eld.

“ e goal here is to evaluate how each cultivar performs across the moisture gradient of a non- ooded eld as plant behavior and the subsequent yield on the upper end of the eld, where there’s no standing water, will be much di erent than towards the bottom, where ooded conditions are usually present,” Chlapecka said. “Although 2022 results are preliminary, based on the rst year of the trial, data showed a stark di erence between hybrids and inbred varieties.”

A planting date trial is incorporated within the cultivar trials, where Extension specialists look at major cultivars across rice planting dates in Missouri ranging from mid-March to mid-June.

“Hybrids maintained yield potential when planted into the rst of May, while

the yield potential of inbred varieties declined by nearly ve bushels per acre per week when planted a er the rst planting date, March 17, 2022,” he said. “ e rst planting date took 36 days to emerge, and the second planting date of April 10, 2022, actually emerged two days a er the rst planting date.”

Rice will not germinate until the soil temperature reaches approximately 55 degrees Fahrenheit, and from there, growth is heavily dictated by heat unit or, essentially, the average air temperature.

“ e lack of heat early in the growing season tends to allow later-planted rice the opportunity to ‘catch up,’” said Chlapecka. But yield potential can still lag behind. “In fact, trials planted April 29, 2022 — 43 days a er the rst planting date of March 17 — headed just 10 days a er the March 17 planted rice.”

Plans for 2023 include four on-farm locations (one furrow-irrigated and three ood-irrigated) and two research stations with both ood-irrigated and furrow-irrigated trials. ere will also be two sites for planting date studies, with ve planting dates planned per site. e rst planting dates were March 15 and March 16, 2023, near Malden and Portageville, respectively.

“ is would allow us to evaluate each cultivar in 22 unique environments,” Chlapecka added.

Cultivar and planting date trials will continue inde nitely to evaluate the performance of cultivars relevant to Missouri rice production, as the most relevant cultivars are in a constant state of ux.

e trials are supported by the Missouri Rice Research and Merchandising Council, and seed is provided by the cooperating seed companies.

For more information, including 2022 research reports, and to sign up for Rice Extension text alerts, visit https:// extension.missouri.edu/programs/ rice-extension.

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NOMINATION FORM

Nominate an outstanding consultant for the Rice Consultant of the Year Award.

Sponsored by Corteva Agriscience and Rice Farming magazine, the annual award recognizes the dedication, leadership and innovation of this crucial segment of the Mid-South rice industry.

“Corteva Agriscience® is committed to rice consultants and the key role they play in agronomic guidance and support,” said Breanna Thompson, Corteva Agriscience product manager, rice and cereals.

“As the sponsor of the Rice Consultant of the Year program, Corteva is honored to recognize consultants who continuously strive to impact the rice industry and their local communities,” she said.

The RCOY Award recipient will:

 Be featured in a four-page salute in the February 2024 Rice Farming magazine and honored at a special recognition event Feb. 29, 2024.

 Receive a personalized Rice Consultant of the Year jacket. The award recipient and nominator each will receive one night’s hotel stay and round-trip travel to the event.

SUBMIT SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

Please use a separate page for biographical/professional information.

Additional recommendation letters from rice farmers, consultants and industry members in support of the nominee are encouraged.

Submit all materials via:

Email: csmith@onegrower.com

Mail: Carroll Smith

7201 Eastern Ave. Germantown, TN 38138

Online: ricefarming.com/rcoy

Submit nominations by July 15, 2023.

Consultant’s Name:

Company Name: Mailing Address: City: State: ZIP: Phone: Email:

Please describe the dedication, leadership and innovation that makes this person a good candidate for the 2023 Rice Consultant of the Year Award. (Be as specific as possible, and use a separate sheet, if needed.)

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A new rice variety

University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture releases high-yielding Clear eld medium-grain rice variety.

By Brittaney Mann U of A System Division of Agriculture

The Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station has released a new high-yielding medium-grain Cleareld rice cultivar at a time of elevated U.S. demand for medium-grain rice.

e new rice variety is called CLM05, and it averaged 192 bushels per acre over two years in statewide trials. It outperformed current commercial cultivars CLM04 and Jupiter in grain yield, disease resistance, and lodging resistance, said Xueyan Sha, professor of rice breeding and genetics for the experiment station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

During the 2022 rice season, the state average yield was 164.7 bushels per acre, according to the 2023 Arkansas Rice Quick Facts, published by the Division of Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service.

Medium-grain rice typically makes up 10% to 15% of the state’s rice acreage, Sha said. It is primarily used by companies like Kellogg’s and General Mills for snacks and table rice. It is also exported to Southeast Asia — especially Taiwan and Turkey.

“ is is going to be a replacement showing lots of promise,” Sha said.

CLM05 is a new medium-grain Clearfield® rice developed by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture rice breeding program.

The Division of Agriculture is producing foundation seed of the variety this year, and a limited amount of seed will be available next year, said John Carlin, director of the division’s Arkansas Crop Variety Improvement Program. Horizon Ag will increase seed production, and it should be widely available in 2025.

“We’re hopeful that it’ll give Mid-South producers a solid-yielding, medium-grain variety that they can use in a weed-controlled program with the Clearfield Production System,” Carlin said.

“CLM05 has a similar disease package, but it outyields CLM04 by quite a bit,” Carlin said. “So, with the increased demand in medium-grain due to California’s water issues, it has a really good fit in the Mid-South market.”

California typically accounts for around 75% of U.S. medium- and shortgrain rice acreage, according to the United States Department of Agriculture’s October 2022 Rice Outlook. But because of a “severe and prolonged drought, low reservoir levels, and water restrictions,” California’s total rice harvested area is the smallest it has been since 1958 to 1959, the report said. According to the final rice harvested acreage numbers released by the USDA, California rice production fell to 254,000 acres — a 37% decrease from the rice harvested area in 2021.

Sha said he is hopeful that this variety will offer a higher-yielding medium-grain variety for Mid-South growers.

Product of a partnership

“We are very pleased with the introduction of CLM05 to the Clearfield medium-grain rice varieties that are marketed by Horizon Ag and their approved retailers,” said Frank Hardimon, Rice Licensing Account Manager for BASF Agricultural Solutions. “CLM05 has performed very well in university and pre-commercial trials. It will help fill a growing demand for high-quality, medium-grain rice varieties in 2025 for Arkansas rice growers, as well as rice growers throughout the Mid-South.”

Tim Walker, Horizon Ag general manager, also expressed confidence in the variety’s ability to help meet medium-grain demands.

“Horizon Ag is very excited to bring CLM05, a next-generation medium-grain rice, to our farmer customers,” Walker said. “With each new variety, Horizon continues to raise the bar for yield potential.

In pre-commercial trials in Arkansas and Louisiana, CLM05 yielded with our bestin-class Clearfield varieties like CLL16 and CLL18. Just as important, in medium-grain acres where conventional varieties have been dominant, the Clearfield system brings tremendous value in grass and red rice control.”

Walker noted that the release of CLM05 illustrates how the partnership of Horizon Ag with university breeding programs benefits rice farmers throughout the South. “We are facilitating rather than competing with university breeders, helping bring superior varieties like CLM05 to their fields,” he added.

“Dr. Sha’s reputation for breeding medium-grain varieties that meet the demands of buyers like Kellogg’s and others is another key benefit of growing CLM05,” Walker said. “There is an advantage when farmers have access to a superior yielding product that’s also desirable to the market. There will be a lot of interest in CLM05 when it is available.”

CLM05 characteristics

CLM05 is susceptible to the rice diseases sheath blight and leaf blast, Sha said. It is moderately susceptible to neck blast, bacterial panicle blight, and false smut.

Sha also noted that the new variety is moderately resistant to narrow brown leaf spot, a disease that has intensified in the last two to three years.

These diseases are major causes of yield

loss and lower profits for Arkansas rice farms, according to the Extension service’s “Rice Production Handbook.”

Maturity days to 50% heading is 90 days, which is similar to other varieties, Sha said.

The plant’s height averaged about 35 inches during testing, Sha said. It is about 2 inches taller than Jupiter but 3 inches shorter than CLM04, and it has improved lodging resistance over both cultivars.

The milling yield for CLM05 is 61% head rice to 67% total rice, Sha said. Milling yield represents the percentage of edible rice obtained from milling the “raw” rice harvested from the field. The milling process removes the outer layers of harvested rice to reveal edible kernels. Milling yield includes percent “head rice” — kernels that are over two-thirds the whole length after milling — and the total percent of whole and broken kernels obtained from milling.

The milling yield may be slightly lower than CLM04, which had a milling rate of 64% head rice to 69% total rice, Sha said. The standard milling yield is at least 55% head rice in Arkansas.

Sha said that CLM05 was developed with support from the Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board and BASF.

Breeder seed for CLM05 will be maintained at the Division of Agriculture’s Rice Research and Extension Center in Stuttgart and distributed to growers by Horizon Ag, a seed technology company licensed by BASF to market Clearfield rice varieties.

Xuyan Sha, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture rice breeder at the Rice Research and Extension Center, Stuttgart.

FRED MILLER/U

Rice farming in the Gulf Coast

Finding balance between technology and profit.

By Cassidy Nemec Editor

Daniel and Dillon Berglund stem from a long line of agriculturalists. This father-son duo has roots in the Wharton and Matagorda counties of the Texas Gulf Coast, and they farm as fourth-and-fifth-generation growers.

A Texas A&M graduate, Daniel planted his first rice crop in 1987. His son, Dillon, started in 2010 and has since precision-leveled all his land. Over the years, the Berglunds acquired farms and operate around 2,000 acres of rice for commercial and seed production. They grow a ratoon crop on their commercial rice acres.

Last year, all rice was watered conventionally with levees and polypipe. They commented they have grown row rice before, in addition to alternate wetting and drying, noting they will do it again.

Varieties and pest management

Last year, the Berglunds grew conventional and specialty varieties, along with RiceTec varieties for their seed rice production. In strengthening their versatility this year, they are continuing to raise RiceTec seed rice as well as their conventional and specialty varieties alongside their other crops for the 2023 season.

The Berglunds said their main weed issues include waterhemp, grasses, and sprangletop. As far as herbicides go, they make use of RoundUp and Sharpen for burn down and Command and Sharpen as a preemergence. They will come back with additional applications as needed with products like Regiment, Facet L, Prowl, and/or Permit Plus.

Daniel said grass control posed more of an issue last year. “I think it was a combination of the heat and how the grass took up

Tony Driver (from left), Scott Strnadel, Dillon Berglund, and Daniel Berglund stand in front of one of their Wharton County rice fields. The Berglunds farm as fourth- and fifth-generation growers in the Wharton and Matagorda counties of the Texas Gulf Coast.

PHOTOS BY CASSIDY NEMEC

the herbicides. It also might have had something to do with water depth. We did our best to maintain an adequate ood, but with excessive heat and low humidity, there were times when it was di cult to keep it up and the grass can get ahead of you,” he said.

Stinkbugs seem to be their main insect problem. ese bugs go so far as to a ect the color and quality of the rice. e Berglunds said they are still working to manage this pest. ey are also not immune to disease in their rice. Sheath blight and kernel smut have been and are issues in this Texas rice. Daniel said fungicides like Amistar Top are very e ective on the sheath blight but that smut, which they will use Tilt to manage early, did appear this past year later in the season due to late rains on late-season rice. “It didn’t rain until the end of July, and then we got quite a bit of rainfall between then and harvest, so we had those issues with smut.”

Method of operation

e Berglands said they are blessed with good employees and reliable truck drivers. ey make use of yield mapping, soil sampling, and variable-rate fertilizer applications. ey have a 120-foot boom, GPS-operated sprayer with a pulse system that has tip-bytip cut-o every 19 inches that helps with dri control and precision. Daniel said they try to keep up with technology advancement without breaking the bank and manage based on expectations.

Daniel said their operation is dependent on weather in the Gulf Coast. Dillon added that they make decisions, too, based on return on investment and pro tability before reiterating the role weather plays. “Farm for the ground, farm for the weather, don’t farm for the homerun.”

Dillon also mentioned the importance of having a good relationship and level of communication with the landowner. Daniel concurred and said they rely on their landowner relationships, need to understand land ownership changes, and must learn to accept the e ects of these changes on their operation.

e Berglunds said their agronomist Scott Strnadel plays a large role in their operation. Strnadel said he utilizes the AgriEdge technology platform from Syngenta and reaps bene ts from the satellite imagery component.

He also contributed to the land discussion by adding land contracts can be di cult to get as most are year-to-year and many need about three to ve years to feel comfortable making major

investments of capital and labor for crops.

However, the Berglunds’ biggest fear is the in ux of solar panels. ere are transmission lines all around, and the level ground in Wharton and Matagorda counties is attractive and suited for their construction, they said.

Looking forward to 2023 rice

Daniel said last year’s seed rice production went well and was productive. eir commercial rice was on the late side, so yields, quality, and weight were o due to excessive Texas heat during pollination and excessive rain during maturity. He noted water use was up last year because of that dry weather, which went along with the exceptionally high fuel costs. “It was a very bad combination. Instead of linear, it was exponential, but that’s part of the business.”

Daniel said they are still trying to mitigate cost of production as a whole. “Our costs of production are still way high. Fertilizer has come down some from last year but is still higher than it was two years ago. Between that and fuel costs, we’re also trying to keep our labor and costs down in general. It’s always an issue, but it’s even more so when you can’t control some of them.”

He said they are going to be keeping an eye on their soil samples and making sure they stay timely with their herbicide applications. In addition, Daniel mentioned they are looking into purchasing a drone to get the trouble spots in a more timely manner.

“With margins being thin, it’s more important than ever to make every acre count.”

Daniel said he is looking forward to when export markets come back. “We need to be more competitive in the world market. It is more of an issue when other countries are subsidizing beyond their World Trade Organization agreements,” he said.

Both Daniel and Dillon said they enjoy the opportunity to farm rice, with Daniel emphasizing his fondness of working with his son and Dillon giving his take on being the next generation.

“I enjoy being out here. It’s good to be able to keep it going,” Dillon said.

Daniel said they try to keep up with technology advancement without breaking the bank. They manage based on expectations, he said.

“Farm for the ground, farm for the weather, don’t farm for the homerun.”

Disease prevention is key

DR. JARROD T. HARDKE ARKANSAS Professor/Rice Extension Agronomist University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture

jhardke@uada.edu

In recent years, most disease calls have centered around sheath blight and the smuts (kernel smut and false smut). These two present very different management scenarios.

Sheath blight continues to be our No. 1 disease issue in rice. To prevent it, we want to avoid excessive seeding rates and nitrogen rates — a dense, lush canopy favors sheath blight development. Since sheath blight is also an issue in soybean as aerial blight, we know there is always a chance of issues if the environmental conditions are favorable.

Even when we handle the agronomics to the best of our ability, we can still have issues with sheath blight. Luckily, this is one disease that we have a treatment threshold for. Simply finding sheath blight is not justification for spraying. It is best to run through a treatment checklist: 1) sheath blight presence, 2) percent of positive stops, and 3) active movement / threatening upper canopy.

Once we have confirmed the presence of sheath blight, the work begins. Treatment may be warranted for moderately susceptible cultivars when greater than 50% of field stops are positive for

Deterring blast issues

DR. JUSTIN CHLAPECKA MISSOURI

Assistant Research Professor/ Rice Extension Specialist University of Missouri

jchlapecka@missouri.edu

Boy, what a difference a year makes. Looking back on last year’s progress, Missouri might have been 5% planted leading into the last week of April. My estimate as of April 24 is somewhere in the 70% ballpark, with many completely finished in the southern and western reaches of the Bootheel. Having this many acres planted early gives us a great chance for two things: hitting our prediction of 180,000 acres of rice and the potential for a great yielding rice crop.

While Missouri is probably last in the Mid-South in terms of blast pressure (one race we are more than happy to lose), we did see some instances of leaf blast last year. Due to more advanced breeder lines and refined production practices, we can generally keep rice blast at bay. In 2022, we were called to a field planted into a cultivar with great blast resistance, but the field was eaten up with leaf blast. This field was also a very sandy soil texture, planted into furrow-irrigated rice, and irrigated only about once

sheath blight, or for susceptible cultivars when greater than 35% of field stops are positive.

However, finding the required percentage of positive stops is not the end. If all stops have sheath blight near the waterline (meaning no active movement up the canopy), then treatment can be delayed for additional scouting later. However, if sheath blight is actively and aggressively moving up the canopy, it may be time to treat.

The goal is to outrun sheath blight to heading. If we can reach 50% heading with the upper three canopy leaves clean, then we have outrun direct yield loss and can save a fungicide application.

For kernel smut and false smut, unfortunately, there is no threshold to follow. We must rely on our knowledge of field history and cultivar susceptibility. Fortunately, the agronomic practices to minimize issues with these diseases are similar to those for sheath blight. Use appropriate seeding and nitrogen rates to reduce problems.

If we have a field history of either of the smuts and plant a cultivar that is rated very susceptible or susceptible, then a preventative fungicide application should be considered.

Too often our triazole fungicide application goes out too late to maximize our suppression of the smuts. The optimum timing is mid-boot as flag leaves are coming out or just out. The closer we get to the start of heading, the less effective a fungicide application will be for smut prevention.

Remember, the goal is to prevent disease pressure as much as possible and rely on fungicides only when needed. Use field knowledge and thresholds to your advantage in 2023.

per week. Putting rice into this type of situation can overcome even the greatest blast resistance we have.

Long story short, let’s not push our rice further than we know it can go in 2023. While there is good blast resistance in many of our cultivars, putting rice into some less-than-ideal situations has the potential to cultivate races of blast that can overcome the resistance genes we have.

Rice blast control begins with selecting a cultivar with some level of resistance, but that is not the only cultural control. Keeping a deeper flood (greater than four inches) or a flood, period, is one way to combat blast pressure. Furrow-irrigated rice is not a good idea in areas where we know that blast can be an issue, or with cultivars that are blast-prone. Scouting areas with an east-facing tree line or that have a longer dew period is one way to find leaf blast issues before they become widespread.

If chemical control is needed, a product containing either azoxystrobin or trifloxystrobin should be utilized prior to heading. The best neck blast control occurs from a two-application approach, with the first at late boot and the second when main tillers are about 75% out of the boot. This approach spreads out our coverage to protect the majority of our tillers. Do not wait too late and remember that if the neck is out of the boot, the fungicide application is virtually pointless.

If you have any questions, please give me a shout and we can discuss control options. As always, eat MO rice!

California disease update

DR. LUIS ESPINO CALIFORNIA

Rice Farming Systems Advisor University of California Cooperative Extension laespino@ucanr.edu

After two years of severe drought, California acreage is going back up. Roughly, half the acreage will be planted in fields that were fallowed last year. Research conducted by rice specialist Bruce Linquist showed that rice planted in fields that were fallowed the previous year has a higher yield potential than rice planted in fields that were in rice the previous year.

One of the reasons for the higher yield potential following fallow may be reduced incidence of stem rot. After harvest, stem rot survives in rice straw as sclerotia, a small hardened spherical structure that resembles a grain of sand. The sclerotia become the inoculum that will infect next year’s crop. During a fallow, as straw decomposes, some of these sclerotia becomes less viable, possibly resulting in less disease the following year when rice is planted.

Another finding from Bruce’s research was that when planting rice in fields that were fallowed the previous year, nitrogen fertilizer rates can be reduced by 20 to 30 units. This means that when rice is planted in fields that were fallowed last year and the fertilizer nitrogen rate is not adjusted, there might be some extra nitrogen. This may have some implications for disease management. While the fallow may reduce stem rot, the extra nitrogen will make plants more susceptible to stem rot and blast. Blast has not been a significant problem in the past two years, but if the weather is right and blast shows up, it can significantly reduce yields in susceptible varieties.

At this point, we don’t have good guidelines to monitor for stem rot during crop development. Evaluation of the severity of stem rot is typically done at drain time; by then it is too late to apply a fungicide. Preliminary data from last year indicates that if 30% to 40% of tillers show stem rot lesions during the boot stage, the severity of the disease may reach high levels at drain time and yields may be reduced. You can use this to guide the decision to use a fungicide. High stem rot incidence may also be an indication that your soil potassium is low and you need to include it in your fertility program. Take into consideration that varieties with shorter cycles, like S-102 and M-105 are more susceptible to stem rot than varieties with longer cycles like M-209 and M-211.

For blast, scout your fields during vegetative growth for leaf le-

sions. If leaf blast is present, plan on using a blast fungicide at late boot or very early heading. Also, be aware if blast is present in your area. Blast spores can travel long distances, and fields without leaf blast can develop neck blast if spores from neighboring fields reach the field. Remember that the only truly blast resistant variety is M-210.

Early season disease thoughts

HUNTER BOWMAN

MISSISSIPPI

Assistant Research Professor/ Extension Rice Agronomist

Mississippi State University

hdb207@msstate.edu

and

TOM ALLEN

MISSISSIPPI

Extension Plant Pathologist

Mississippi State University

ta152@msstate.edu

In Mississippi, rice planting is off to a great start as I sit down to write this at the end of April. I would easily say we have a greater percentage of acres as well as a larger amount of rice acres in the state than on average. With that being said, it is important we emphasize issues that can arise within the crop early in the year.

Planting early has always been thought to be a good idea, and I do not disagree with the thought process behind it. Current data shows that varieties tend to lose 0.25% of the yield potential after April 30, with hybrids having a slightly wider window into early May. However, it is important to understand the potential diseases in this early season environment.

My biggest thought with this early rice year is the increased potential for the environment producing conducive periods for seedling diseases such as Pythium root rot or seed decay/rot. Seedling diseases can often appear similar to glyphosate drift. Moreover, with the temperatures that have shifted toward being much cooler and with intermittent rainfall over the past few weeks, seedling disease can be compounded with a more conducive environment. Be mindful that seedling diseases are most often observed in a low or wet spot in a part of the field and do not typically occur across an entire field. In general, when seedling disease occurs, rice plants will have lesions present at the soil line. The best way to manage seedling diseases is to use a seed treatment and attempt to keep fields well-drained while rice is getting established.

As we move closer to four-leaf rice before flooding, it is important to begin scouting for leaf blast. Blast will often appear near the edge of fields, on levees, or anywhere with a less-than-four-inch flood after the flood is established. Blast can also appear similar to herbicide drift; however, lesions will appear to have more of a diamond-like appearance rather than something that smears down the leaf. Blast becomes more problematic once rice begins

Stem rot sclerotia forms in rice tissue and survives the winter in the straw.

to head, and the disease moves from the leaf to the panicle, which can result in blank heads. The best management to prevent this is a fungicide application that includes two modes of action and generally a triazole that has a more “curative” ability and a strobilurin that is more “preventive.” Blast of the neck and panicle are the most potentially yield-limiting stages of rice blast.

This year is shaping up to be excellent for Mississippi rice production. However, if issues or questions do arise, feel free to reach out to your local Extension specialist anytime.

Rice disease management

DR. RONNIE LEVY LOUISIANA Extension Rice Specialist

Louisiana State University

RLevy@agcenter.lsu.edu

The yield potential of any rice variety can be severely reduced under high disease levels. An integrated disease management program including the following practices should be implemented:

■ Plant resistant varieties.

■ Avoid late planting.

■ Maintain proper fertility levels.

■ Maintain adequate flood (avoid loss of flood).

■ Use fungicides at the correct growth stage if necessary. Fungicide timing is critical for disease control. Sheath blight should be treated between early boot and heading but not beyond 50% to 70% heading. Blast must be treated at the 50% to 70% heading growth stage. Yield and grain quality increase because of disease control and quickly decrease if fungicide is applied after 70% heading. Remember, this growth stage is very difficult to detect, so it is important to scout for the rice growth stage at the same time as you scout for disease. Also, you will need to allow time to obtain a fungicide, schedule the application, and allow for poor weather conditions to apply the fungicide at the correct time. The use of foliar fungicides is justified in many cases. Some factors to consider in making this decision are as follows:

■ The history of the field.

■ Whether the variety is susceptible.

■ Yield potential.

■ Application cost and expected crop price.

■ If the rice is being grown for seed.

■ If the rice is planted late, late-planted rice is more likely to encounter foliar disease problems.

■ If a ratoon crop is planned because disease not suppressed in the first crop may cause significant damage in the second crop.

Scouting for diseases should begin early in the season. For sheath blight, cultivars that are very susceptible to susceptible will experience an economic loss of 5% to 10% if the tillers are infected during vegetative stages. For moderately susceptible cultivars, the level is 15%. At these levels, consider using a fungicide. Fields with a history of sheath blight, under rice-soybean rotation, or rice-rice rotation have a higher risk of developing severe epidemics.

For blast control, apply a foliar fungicide at early heading (50% to 70% heads emerging) when leaf blast symptoms are present. Leaf blast does not always precede rotten-neck blast, and preventive applications of a fungicide may be warranted if a blast-susceptible variety is grown. The incidence and severity of blast increases when plants are stressed (loss of flood, fertility imbalance, etc.). Draining for straighthead and/or water weevil control may increase the incidence and severity of blast. Also, blast is normally worse on later-planted rice.

Cercospora disease control and yield increases appear best when fungicides are applied between panicle differentiation and early boot growth stages. Cercospora causes narrow brown leaf spot and other symptoms. Leaf lesions are linear and reddish-brown. Resistance to narrow brown leaf spot is available. On susceptible cultivars, the lesions are wider, more numerous and lighter brown with gray necrotic centers. Spots usually appear near heading. Both young and old leaves are susceptible. This past year, rice sheaths and glumes were affected on later planted rice that was resistant to narrow brown leaf spot. It caused significant discoloration, necrosis, and yield losses.

On sheaths, the disease is referred to as “sheath net blotch” because of the brown cell walls and the tan-to-yellow intracellular areas that form a netlike pattern. Branches of the seed heads can become infected, causing premature ripening and unfilled grains. Symptoms can be confused with rotten-neck and panicle blast lesions. Narrow brown disease lesion symptoms usually are darker brown and develop in the internodal area of the neck. Grain infection appears as a diffused brown discoloration. The disease can also be very severe on the ratoon crop. The later the rice is planted, the earlier the fungicide must be applied to reduce infection. Most fungicides may not be applied to the second, or ratoon, crop.

PHOTOS BY RONNIE LEVY

Cercospora sheath net blotch

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