Rice Farming April 2021

www.ricefarming.com

ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC

PROFITABLE PRODUCTION STRATEGIES

APRIL 2021

Texas rice grower shares his harvest with food bank Avoid automatic fungicide applications

ROXY rice

rocks Herbicide-tolerant California medium grain advances

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Don Medlin, Co.

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Belzoni, MS: 662-247-1221 Greenwood, MS: 662-453-6525 Leland, MS: 662-686-2361 Yazoo City, MS: 662-746-4421

Caruthersville, MO: 573-333-0663

Altheimer, AR: 870-766-8416 Carlisle, AR: 870-552-7559 De Witt, AR: 870-946-4616 England, AR: 501-842-2521 Hoxie, AR: 870-886-6663 Pocahontas, AR: 870-892-2511 Stuttgart, AR: 870-673-1688

Baker Implement Co. Arbyrd, MO: 573-654-3511 Blytheville, AR: 870-763-4556 Cape Girardeau, MO: 573-335-8226 Dexter, MO: 573-624-8021 Kennett, MO: 573-888-4646 Malden, MO: 573-276-3896 Osceola, AR: 870-563-6636 Paragould, AR: 870-573-6970 Piggott, AR: 870-598-3848 Poplar Bluff, MO: 573-785-9628 Portageville, MO: 573-379-5455

Delta Implement Co. Cleveland, MS: 662-843-2742

Eldridge Supply Company Augusta, AR: 870-347-2518 Brinkley, AR: 870-734-4151 Poplar Grove, AR: 870-572-6707

Hlavinka Equipment Co. East Bernard, TX: 979-335-7528 El Campo, TX: 979-543-3301 Nome, TX: 409-253-2244 Taft, TX: 361-528-2554 Victoria, TX: 361-541-6100

Hood Equipment Co., Inc.

Heartland Equipment

Charleston, MO: 573-683-2601

Jonesboro, AR: 870-932-8383 Marked Tree, AR: 870-358-2555 Weiner, AR: 870-684-2231 West Memphis, AR: 870-732-4474 Wynne, AR: 870-238-1234

Batesville, MS: 662-563-4546 Bruce, MS: 662-983-7181

Medlin Equipment Co. Mid-South Agricultural Equipment, Inc. Byhalia, MS: 662-890-3141 Clarksdale, MS: 662-624-4305 Sumner, MS: 662-375-8852 Tunica, MS: 662-363-2231

All rights reserved. Case IH is a trademark registered in the United States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or affiliates. www.caseih.com

Progressive Tractor & Implement, Co. Arnaudville, LA: 337-667-6535 Bunkie, LA: 318-346-6361 Eunice, LA: 337-457-4103 Iowa, LA: 337-588-4704 Jeanerette, LA: 337-276-6384 Jonesville, LA: 318-757-7911 Lake Providence, LA: 318-559-2880 Mcgehee, AR: 870-222-3022 New Roads, LA: 225-638-6347 Opelousas, LA: 337-942-5689 Rayville, LA: 318-728-4436 Shreveport, LA: 318-404-1447 Tallulah, LA: 318-574-3190

March 2018 April 2021

COLUMNS

www.ricefarming.com

Vol. Vol. 52, 55, No. 4 5

COVER STORY

4 From the Editor

Rice'sdon’t ‘You long know history what bucks 'what's got hot till in food' trends you’ve it’s gone’

USA Rice Update 6 Guest Column

2021 is presenting its own Rice and sustainability challenges to the industry

8 USA Rice Update D PARTM E Npriorities TS RiceE industry sets

ROXY rice rocksto instay? trials Here

for the next Farm Bill

16 Industry News Rice business scene

DEPARTMENTS 20 Specialists Speaking 19 Industry News Don’t just water. Irrigate!

Rice business scene

20 Specialist Speaking ON THE COVER: Breeders at the

California Rice Experiment Stationcan are Early herbicide mistakes partnering with all Albaugh LLC to bring plague you season long

a new novel non-GMO herbicidetolerance trait to market.

Photo by Vicky Boyd ON THE COVER: Armyworms once again plagued California rice growers in 2017.

Photo by Luis Espino, University of California Cooperative Extension APRIL 2021

ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC

Work continues to bring herbicide-tolerant California medium grain and paired oxyfluorfen herbicides to market.

The California rice industry prepares for what may become annual armyworm infestations.

F E AT U R E S F TURES 8 E AAvoid automatic fungicides

Take yin an integrated The and yangapproach to disease management, and consider several Shorter supplies have shorn up the factors before making an application. market, but increased 2018 planting projections cloud long-term outlook.

9 10

Texas rice producer Jacko Garrett

14

Floods aid continues to expansion ‘share the harvest’ through

Giant invasiveefforts. snail threatens the his charitable rice-crawfish rotation in southwest Louisiana.

Not too much, not too little

18

but just right New Nitrogen tools management in the toolcanbox help control

UArk confirms pigweed resistant to glufosinate

16 Look Soybean Southe-newsletter supplement Sign upforforthethe monthly following page 20 in the the Arkansas, at ricefarming.com to have exclusive Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and industry news andofcontent delivered Texas versions Rice Farming . directly to your inbox.

17

rice diseases and boost quality.

Several new crop-protection products are available in time for this year’s rice season.

Awards Nom

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SPONSORS

2021

18Rice Far m & Gin Show recap Consultant Of The Year: Acknowledge an outstanding consultant for

N O M I N A T

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RICE FARMING

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From The

Editor

‘You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone’ In the song “Big Yellow Taxi,” Joni Mitchell sings, “Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.”

The COVID pandemic has reinforced this notion. Many things we used to take for granted, like in-person grower meetings and field days, disappeared overnight.

As social creatures, most humans need personal interactions. We tried to stay at home as much as possible and only interact with our six-member family group or pod, but many of those needs went unfulfilled.

Sure I went to grower meetings or field days before the pandemic to learn the latest producVicky Boyd tion information. But what I most looked forEditor ward to was catching up with people I hadn’t seen in a while and sometimes since the previous year’s meeting. There’s something to be said about breaking bread with colleagues as you chat about family, hunting, sports or other topics.

If you’re like me, you’ve grown tired of seeing friends and colleagues on the pixelated screen of a computer, or even worse, the miniature screen of a cell phone. The garbled sound, frequently due to insufficient rural broadband connections, only worsened the frustrations.

Researchers have come up with a term — Zoom fatigue — to describe the psychological consequences of spending hours per day on these platforms.

Fortunately, there’s a proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. During the past few months, a handful of universities and other agricultural groups have held in-person meetings with limited attendance to meet local COVID regulations. And growers appear hungry for these types of in-person interactions.

I recently attended the Colusa County Farm Supply’s annual meeting in Maxwell, California, nearly a year to the day since the last in-person grower meeting I had been to. It so happens it was CCFS’s 2020 annual meeting.

Hands were shaken and hugs were given out of old habit, and it felt like we were returning to some semblance of normalcy.

Some groups still plan to keep a virtual format this year because they can’t predict the COVID situation this summer when their traditional field days are scheduled.

At least the Louisiana State University AgCenter has announced it plans to hold its annual H. Rouse Caffey Rice Field Day in person June 30.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed that it comes to fruition because I’m already looking forward to seeing smiling faces and eating field day fare while chatting with other real live attendees.

Vicky

RiceFaRming EDITORIAL/PRODUCTION Editor Vicky Boyd 209-505-3612 vlboyd@onegrower.com Copy Editor Amanda Huber ahuber@onegrower.com Art Director Ashley Kumpe akumpe@onegrower.com

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ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC Mike Lamensdorf President/Treasurer Lia Guthrie Publisher/Vice President ASSOCIATED PUBLICATIONS — One Grower Publishing LLC also publishes COTTON FARMING, THE PEANUT GROWER, SOYBEAN SOUTH and CORN SOUTH magazines.

RICE FARMING (ISSN 0194-0929) is published monthly January through May, and December, by One Grower Publishing LLC, 875 W. Poplar Ave., Suite 23, Box 305, Collierville, TN 38017. Periodicals postage paid at Memphis, Tennesee, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to OMEDA COMMUNICATIONS, CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT, P.O. BOX 1388, NORTHBROOK, IL 60065-1388. Annual subscriptions are $25.00.

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APRIL 2021

RICEFARMING.COM

2021 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.

Categories: Please check the box of the appropriate award category:

q 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.

q Rice Industry Award

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 www.ricefarming.com.

Nominee’s name Nominee’s address Nominee’s phone number/email address Nominee’s rice acreage (if applicable)

• 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.

Your name

q Rice Lifetime Achievement Award

Your profession

• 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, 2021

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

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

Include supporting materials to elaborate on your nomination: 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 2021 Rice Awards.

The award recipients will be honored at the USA Rice Outlook Conference, Dec. 5-7 in New Orleans, Louisiana, 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 2021 issue.

SPONSORS

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Update

2021 is presenting its own challenges to the rice industry

By Betsy Ward President and CEO USA Rice

Farmers repair a set of grain bins damaged by Hurricane Laura south of Lake Charles, Louisiana, in late August 2020.

The tops of three of the bins were blown away, exposing freshly harvested rice.

BRUCE SCHULTZ, LSU AGCENTER

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L

ast year had unpredictable ups and downs. Unprecedented hurricane and fire seasons wracked both the South and Northern California, international shipping logistics have been disrupted and some of our largest foreign markets are still reeling from the impact of COVID-19.

The pandemic isn’t over quite yet, and of course the weather doesn’t follow anyone’s orders. But with the arrival of the new year, I think a lot of us — myself included — were hoping things might calm down a bit and even go back to “normal.”

As an industry, we’ve faced every challenge that the last year has thrown at us with sound strategy and the resilience we’re known for. Rather than focus solely on the challenges themselves, I’d like to take some time to reflect on the ways we’ve responded to them.

‘Hurricane of the Month Club’ Take the weather. Though none of us voluntarily signed up for the “Hurricane of the Month Club,” the South was hammered last fall by Hurricane Laura followed by Hurricane Delta just six weeks later. The storms hit the ratoon crop hard, caused flooding and power outages, and damaged structures on farms and mills.

While 2020 now holds the record for most named hurricanes in a single year, it was also the largest wildfire season in California’s modern history, scorching almost 4.4 million acres and causing precautionary electrical brownouts across the state’s rice country.

And in February, the entire southern United States was paralyzed by winter storms and record-breaking freezing temperatures, shutting down water, power and roads for days.

T

hese catastrophic weather events and the global pandemic were the backdrop against which we saw retail rice sales at among the highest levels we’ve seen as more Americans started cooking at home and stocking — or

overstocking — their pantries. The industry responded by fixing damaged property and moving right into the spring planting season.

It is taking the lessons learned from this historic freeze and implementing measures to prepare for icy roads, power outages and burst pipes in the future.

Shipping container and labor shortages This is fortunate, because the whims of the weather aren’t the only challenge facing U.S. rice. While there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel, the pandemic isn’t over, and it exposed weak links in logistics — particularly with international trade.

Shipping container and labor shortages are disrupting shipping for all kinds of commodities. As an industry, we are tackling the issue head on by engaging with the federal government through as many avenues as possible.

We’re communicating with the Biden administration and Capitol Hill, meeting with the Federal Maritime Commission, working with legislators, and partnering with other industries to solve these logistical issues and keep our rice getting to the places it needs to be.

We’re also fighting to regain our hold in Iraq, a country whose economy was hit especially hard by the pandemic and dropping oil prices. In 2020, Iraq purchased no rice from the United States, a stark departure from 2019 when it purchased more than 150,000 metric tons and were our sixth largest export market.

But at the beginning of this year, Iraq announced a global tender, and USA Rice has been working tirelessly with government officials and legislators to secure an Iraqi tender specifically for U.S. rice.

In March, 25 members of Congress, many of them from rice-growing areas, sent letters to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and both U.S. and Iraqi ambassadors urging them to work together on this issue.

There isn’t a problem facing U.S. rice today that we as an industry can’t find a solution for. You name it, and we’re on it. Whether it’s a natural disaster or a shift in the international economy, we come together, sit down and plan our response.

RICEFARMING.COM

Plan For Proactive Rice Weed Control Rick Deviney Deviney Ag Service DeWitt, Arkansas

While in college, I scouted cotton and worked for a flying service. After graduating, I was a crop duster until 2010 when my friend who had a crop consulting business hired me. I bought him out in 2017 and started Deviney Ag Service on my own. Because I always enjoyed serving others, I included the word “service” in the company name. In 2020, we planted a lot of acres early, so it took a long time to get a stand in both levee rice and row rice. Overall, our weed control programs were successful, and yields were average to better than average. Today, about 25% of my rice acres are row rice, which has been gaining popularity.

Our primary target weeds are barnyardgrass and pigweed.

We try to prevent pigweed from emerging by applying residuals. When we go to flood in levee rice, the water will get them while they are still fairly small. Because there is no flood in row rice, pigweed shows up in the field all season long. We’re using more Loyant® herbicide postemergence in row rice because it takes out tough broadleaf weeds and can be applied by ground.

Since barnyardgrass is our No. 1 enemy, I believe in being proactive and killing it when it’s small. A postemergence application of RebelEX® herbicide is a good fit in fields before we go to flood when barnyardgrass and sprangletop are present. RebelEX also picks up small broadleaves and sedges.

Versatile Herbicide Portfolio Ag pilots check the wind when making herbicide applications in fields next to sensitive crops. If they finish 80% of a field before the wind shifts, you potentially can get in a bind because the weeds in the unsprayed area continue growing.

That’s when I choose a herbicide based on the target weeds and the adjacent crop. For example, if rice is surrounded by bean fields and grass is present, I spray Clincher® SF herbicide. If corn is next door, we run Grasp® SC and Facet herbicides. An important part of my job as a rice consultant is finding herbicides that fit and can be applied. The Corteva Agriscience herbicides are versatile enough to get you out of situations that come up with weeds in rice fields next to sensitive crops.

While waiting for the rain and cold weather to pass, my farmers focused on getting everything ready to go. With bigger equipment, they knew they could get a lot done when the planting window opened. Because markets are up for rice as well as the other crops, payouts are looking good this year.

• Bachelor’s degree in agricultural business, University of Arkansas at Monticello.

• Consults on rice, corn, soybeans, milo and wheat in Arkansas, Desha and Drew counties.

• Member, Arkansas Crop Protection Association and Arkansas Agricultural Consultants Association.

• Member, Hebron Missionary Baptist Church, Point Deluce, Arkansas.

• Wife Kimberly. Three daughters: Olivia, 19; Lily, 17; and Charlie, 10.

• Enjoys spending time with family and staying at deer camp.

Recap: Plan For Proactive Weed Control

t

1. Our primary target weeds are barnyardgrass and pigweed. We try to prevent pigweed from emerging by applying residuals.

2. We’re using more Loyant® herbicide postemergence in row rice because it takes out tough broadleaf weeds and can be applied by ground.

3. A postemergence application of RebelEX® herbicide is a good fit in fields before we go to flood when barnyardgrass and sprangletop are present.

4. If rice is surrounded by bean fields and grass is present, I spray Clincher® SF herbicide. If corn is next door, we run Grasp® SC and Facet herbicides.

5. An important part of my job as a rice consultant is finding herbicides that fit and can be applied.

Sponsored by

Trademarks of Corteva Agriscience and its affiliated companies. Clincher® SF, Grasp® SC, Loyant® and RebelEX® are not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Consult the label before purchase or use for full details. Always read and follow label directions. © 2021 Corteva.

™®

BRUCE SCHULTZ, LSU AGCENTER

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS

Yeshi Wamishe talks about rice disease management during the 2020 University of Arkansas virtual rice field day.

Don Groth discusses rice diseases during a previous LSU AgCenter rice field day.

Avoid automatic fungicides Take an integrated approach to disease management and consider several factors before making an application.

By Vicky Boyd Editor

N

o two farming seasons are alike, and that also goes for variations in plant disease severity from year to year.

Nevertheless, plant pathologists say some recommendations ring true every season.

Start by choosing varieties with tolerance to your most troublesome diseases, manage the crop correctly, scout fields regularly, accurately identify diseases, use the proper fungicide applied at the right timing and rotate effective modes of action.

“Fungicides should not be applied automatically,” said Yeshi Wamishe, University of Arkansas Extension rice plant pathologist. “You must have a reason to justify a fungicide, such as the field has an extensive history of disease, you have especially conducive conditions, you’re growing a disease-susceptible variety, the rice was planted late or if you’re planning for ratooning.”

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Of the 25 known rice diseases in Arkansas, only a handful are considered economically important: sheath blight, blast, kernel smut, false smut and narrow brown leaf spot. Louisiana growers face a similar disease spectrum, although those who farm in the southern part of the state and who ratoon have to protect their first crop from disease to maintain second-crop yields.

2020 in retrospect During a recent virtual review of the 2020 season, Louisiana State University AgCenter plant pathologist Don Groth said, “We’ve learned some lessons, and there have been some changes we’ve had to adapt to.”

Bayer, for example, discontinued marketing Stratego fungicide, a premix of propiconazole and trifloxystrobin, for rice.

“That’s going to be a big shift because

it’s one of our major blast materials,” Groth said.

Gem, a trifloxystrobin from Bayer, will be discontinued and instead marketed under the existing brand, Flint, in 2021.

By tankmixing Flint with 6-10 ounces of propiconazole, growers essentially can make their own Stratego, he said.

Entering the 2020 season in Louisiana, the cold winter reduced much of the overwintering rice, which prevented blast and Cercospora — the genus of fungi responsible for narrow brown leaf spot — from getting an early start. That helped reduce problems in the first crop, Groth said.

Several late-season tropical storms and hurricanes affected the second crop, creating conditions ripe for fungal disease.

“The big thing we noticed last year is with a lot of our new medium-grain varieties, we saw a lot more blast,” he said.

RICEFARMING.COM

Jupiter is susceptible to blast, and he saw serious leaf blast in CLM04, the new Clearfield medium grain, and Titan.

Fungicide Application Timings Disease

Blast is unpredictable One of the main strategies against blast is to choose a blast-resistant variety, and many of the more recent releases have one and often two blast-resistant genes.

Outside of that, Groth recommended planting early, maintaining a flood since water helps suppress disease progression, making modest nitrogen applications and using a strobilurin fungicide.

Depending on disease severity and what part of the plant is infected, growers can lose up to 100% of their yield if a susceptible variety is not protected with a fungicide, Wamishe said.

“Blast is unpredictable,” she said. “You have to know the cultivar and field history, and you have to know where to scout,” she said.

Optimum application timing is between 50% to 60% head emergence, Groth said.

If you wait until the heads are completely out, you’re too late and could lose 300 to 500 pounds of yield potential.

“Apply the fungicide, especially for blast, just when the heads are beginning to emerge,” he said.

TWITTER: @RICEFARMING

Early boot

Mid boot

Sheath blight

maybe

yes

Kernel smut

yes

yes

False smut

yes

yes

Narrow brown leaf spot

maybe

late planted

mid planted

Late boot

10% head out

50%-70% head out

yes

yes

yes

yes

maybe

maybe

early planted

Courtesy Yeshi Wamishe, University of Arkansas

sitive to fungicides than false smut. Both of the smuts can be aggravated by excessive nitrogen applications. In fact, false smut is sometimes referred to as a “high yield disease.”

“Because of that, we’re having more and more false smut every year in all of our varieties — conventional as well as hybrids,” she said.

The 2019 smut epidemic 2019 proved an epidemic year for both kernel smut and false smut. During harvest, black clouds from kernel smut spores could be seen around combines. 2020 wasn’t nearly as bad, although some smut was seen later in the season.

“They got the correct fungicide out at the right time to knock the epidemic down,” Groth said. Fungicides that contain a triazole are the most effective.

Rice seed heads The application showing symptoms window for ker- of false smut nel smut is narrow, from boot to 2- to 4-inch panicle.

“The timing is critical,” he said. “If you wait until heading, you almost have no activity against this disease.”

Wamishe said kernel smut is more sen-

DON GROTH, LSU AGCENTER; BUGWOOD.ORG

(fluxapyroxad), and Artisan, a premix of flutolanil and propiconazole.

Amistar Top, a premix of azoxystrobin and dificonazole, also provided good control of strobilurin-resistant sheath blight in LSU AgCenter trials.

If you see sheath blight very early in the season or see severe symptoms early, he recommended applying a fungicide at PD + 7.

“The problem with putting out a fungicide that early is we might have to come back with a second application,” Groth said.

If the variety has moderate resistance or weather forecasts show conditions won’t be conducive in the coming days, then growers may wait until between boot and heading.

LSU AgCenter researchers also have detected one case of SDHI-resistant sheath blight, prompting a call to steward the few fungicides available. SDHI fungicides include Elegia and Sercadis.

Narrow brown leaf spot

MILTON RUSH, LSU AGCENTER; BUGWOOD.ORG

Sheath blight is world’s top rice disease Sheath blight is one of the most economically important rice diseases worldwide. Caused by the soiborne fungus Rhizoctonia solani, it also is responsible for root rot and damping off in soybeans.

Most fungicides, except for triazoles, work well on the wild races of sheath blight in rice, Groth said. Throughout much of Southwest Louisiana, sheath blight has become resistant to the strobilurins since the issue was first confirmed in 2011. One case of strobilurin-resistant sheath blight also has been confirmed in Mississippi.

For areas with strobilurin resistance, Groth recommended the carboxamides, such as Elegia (flutolanil) or Sercadis

PD + 7

Blast

DON GROTH, LSU AGCENTER; BUGWOOD.ORG

Field view of severe late upper-leaf infection symptoms of rice sheath blight

Green ring

Cercospora on the rise Narrow brown leaf spot, which causes premature kernel ripening and lodging, has become more problematic in recent years. It is considered a late-season disease and is seen more on potassium-deficient soils. Yield losses can reach up to 40% in severe cases.

Although resistance among rice varieties has been observed, it is an unreliable control method because races evolve quickly.

And the later a field is planted, the earlier the disease symptoms may be present.

“The later you plant, the more disease you will have and the earlier you need to put out the fungicide,” Groth said.

Triazole fungicides applied between boot and heading offer control. When he first began studying the disease in the mid2000s, Groth said 4 to 6 ounces would control Cercospora. Now because of increased tolerance, it takes 8 to 10 ounces.

Wamishe said if she receives funding, she plans to conduct trials this season to fine-tune fungicide timings for Cercospora for her state’s growers.

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Giving back Texas rice grower Jacko Garrett continues to ‘share the harvest’ through his charitable efforts.

By Vicky Boyd Editor

Pandemic intensifies demand The Houston Food Bank is used to dealing with disasters, such as after hurricanes, but those increased demands typically wane.

The pandemic, however, has been going on for a year, further stressing the food bank.

“The challenge for us is we really haven’t seen that need tapering off,” she said. In February alone, the food bank distributed more than 19.8 million pounds of food.

Over the years, Garrett’s donations have ebbed and flowed, depending on the acreage he farmed. In recent years, he has downsized his operation but still grows 130 acres of rice specifically for the food bank. He also enlisted Al Shimek of Garwood to grow some acreage earmarked for donating.

During 2020 and again this season, Garrett said input suppliers,

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HOUSTON FOOD BANK

F

or more than three decades, Danbury, Texas, rice producer Jacko Garrett has been growing rice specifically to donate to the Houston Food Bank. Along the way, he has enlisted the help of other growers and obtained donations from agricultural chemical dealers, seed producers, aerial applicators and millers.

“We’re just too blessed not to give back,” he said.

Starting in the mid-1980s when Garrett and his father shipped a truckload of rice to the food bank, his efforts have continued to grow. In 1999, Garrett founded the charity Share the Harvest to better handle his rice donations as well as those of fellow rice growers he recruits.

At no time have his gifts been more needed than during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, said Sabrina Bosiacki, agriculture industry manager for the Houston Food Bank.

Before the pandemic, the food bank estimated there are about 1.1 million food-insecure people living in the 18-county region it serves. After COVID-19 hit, it more than doubled distribution from 400,000 pounds per day to up to 1 million pounds per day.

“Our partners, especially, are really feeling the strain of double and triple the demand within the community,” Bosiacki said.

Serving an area bounded by Chambers County to the east and Austin, Ford Bend and Brazoria counties on the west, the Houston Food Bank is the largest in the nation in distribution.

Because rice is non-perishable and familiar to most consumers, it lends itself for use by food banks.

“It’s a really important staple in a lot of pantries as a carb that helps fill bellies,” Bosiacki said. “We work really hard to take that rice and pair it with lean proteins, dairy and fresh vegetables to create a well-balanced meal.”

Volunteers at the Houston Food Bank repack a 2,000-pound tote of rice into 2-pound bags.

aerial applicators and a mill volunteered their services.

“It was amazing,” Garrett said. “This last year we didn’t have to pay for one herbicide, and the industry donated all the fertilizer.

It was incredible. They just stepped up and really did a great job furnishing whatever we needed.”

He credited RiceTec with donating hybrid rice seed, and Simplot Soil Solutions — formerly East Bernard Milling — the fertilizer.

This season, RiceTec provided XP753, which excites Garrett because of its high yield potential.

Randy Waligura at Texana Seed also has been a long-time supporter of Garrett’s charity.

Garrett’s brother who runs Garrett Flying Services, along with Lissie Flying Service owned by the Gertson family, donated aerial application services. BASF donated herbicide, and long-time backers Dickie and Betty Adams of Colorado County Mill contributed their services.

Garrett ships 44,500 pounds of rice in 2,000-pound totes every six weeks. Then volunteers at the food bank break it down and repack it into typically 2-pound bags. All told, the rice shipments equate to between 9 million and 10 million meals annually.

Although the food bank receives occasional rice donations from other producers or an overrun of a few pallets, Bosiacki said the shipments from Share the Harvest are a wonderful, consistent gift of much-needed rice.

If you farm within the Houston Food Bank’s boundaries and want to donate rice, contact Bosiacki at 832-217-8246 or sbosiacki@houstonfoodbank.org. If you farm elsewhere and want to donate rice, visit https://www.feedingamerica.org/ to find a food bank near you.

RICEFARMING.COM

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ROXY rice rocks in trials Work moves forward on herbicide-tolerant California medium-grain production system.

By Vicky Boyd Editor

T

he California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation, in conjunction with Albaugh LLC, continues work to bring the herbicide-tolerant ROXY Rice Production System to market.

Researchers at the grower-owned Rice Experiment Station identified a gene in 2014 that imparts tolerance to oxyfluorfen herbicide and are developing varieties containing the trait. Ankeny, Iowa-based Albaugh, which markets post-patent crop protection materials, is partnering with the foundation to develop proprietary oxyfluorfen formulations — ALB2023 and ALB2024. The company also is working to obtain federal and state registrations for use of the products on rice with the ROXY trait.

If all goes as scheduled, the ROXY Rice Production System could be commercially available to California growers as early as the 2023 planting season, said experiment station CEO Russell Rasmussen.

“This is a new trait, so this will be a new experience for California bringing a new trait to the market,” he said. “It will be different than the way we bring a variety to the market. It will require more quality control measures, and there will be a royalty that we hope to keep low because it’s funded primarily by the growers, but we still have to recover some of that investment.”

In field trials with water-seeded rice, the system has provided good to very good control of a broad array of grasses and broadleaf weeds. It also has performed well in drill-seeded trials.

As such, Rasmussen said the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation, which owns the trait, may eventually license it to breeders in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri or Texas.

Albaugh also has been working with University of Arkansas and Louisiana State University AgCenter weed scientists for the past two years to examine ALB2023 efficacy and ROXY rice in

UC Davis weed scientist Kassim Al-Khatib is developing herbicide programs for the ROXY production system that bring in residuals and other modes of action.

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RICEFARMING.COM

Mid-South rice-production systems, said Chad Shelton, Albaugh director of global proprietary technology.

Strong medium-grain pedigree ROXY rice, which stands for “resistant to oxyfluorfen,” was developed by a team led by recently retired experiment station director Kent McKenzie using traditional induced mutagenesis.

The technique was also used to develop California’s first semidwarf, Calrose 76, as well as M-401 and Clearfield and Provisia varieties, among others. They are not considered genetically modified organisms or GMOs. The ROXY trait is the result of a single-gene mutation recovered in M-206 — the most widely grown Calrose medium grain in California — that allows it to tolerate oxyfluorfen herbicide, said McKenzie, who continues to consult for Albaugh. The line is tolerant but not resistant to the herbicide, so high rates could cause a crop response.

Since the original plants were identified in 2014, experiment station breeders have backcrossed it with M-206, resulting in an experimental line known as 17Y3000. They also have crossed the original line with M-210, a medium grain with blast resistance.

The resulting is a line known as 19Y4000.

Rasmussen said breeders also plan to develop a ROXY line based on the recently released M-211, a high-yielding premium Calrose.

VICKY BOYD

Stewardship will be critical Shelton emphasized that this is a rice production system that pairs rice varieties that contain the ROXY trait with proprietary oxyfluorfen formulations being developed by Albaugh.

The yet-to-be-branded oxyfluorfen herbicide, referred to as ALB2023, will be a suspension concentrate for use preflood. It contains 4 pounds of active ingredient per gallon. An emulsifiable concentrate, ALB2024, will be for postemergence use. It contains 2 pounds of active ingredient per gallon. They will only be registered for use on ROXY varieties.

Oxyfluorfen is not currently registered for use on rice in the United States, but it is registered for use on several other crops, including soybeans, corn, cotton, tree fruit, grapes and nuts.

A Weed Science Society of America Group 14 PPO inhibitor, the herbicide controls a wide variety of grasses and broadleaf weeds. Currently, no California rice weeds are known to have resistance to PPOs. Shelton stressed that stewardship will be key to keeping the ROXY production system viable and slowing weed resistance like what has occurred with other herbicide-tolerant rice systems.

“This is your first herbicide-tolerant trait,” he told growers attending the recent Colusa County Farm Supply annual meeting in Maxwell. “How long until you get your next one? So rice industry and grower stewardship will be critical.”

He envisions growers using the ROXY system until they’ve reduced their weed seed bank, then switching to other herbicide

technologies with different modes of action. The company is only targeting 25% to 30% of California rice acreage.

“If you see any more than that, you are not stewarding it,” he said. “We can’t have 90% of the acreage.”

ALB2023 and ALB2024 also are not stand-alone herbicides and will be promoted as part of an integrated weed management strategy that includes different effective herbicide modes of action.

TWITTER: TWITTER: @RICEFARMING @RICEFARMING

APRIL APRIL 2021 2021

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RICE RICE FARMING FARMING

13 13

2021

Recognize an outstanding consultant for his or her dedication, leadership and innovation in the U.S. rice industry.

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

Submit nominations by July 15, 2021.

S P O N S O R E D

B Y

Abbreviated Rules. No Purchase Necessary. Contest ends on 7/15/21 at 11:59:59 PM (CT). To enter, go to http://www.ricefarming. com/rcoy. Nominators must be legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry and possess knowledge and/or experience in the rice farming industry. Entrants must be legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry and serve as a rice consultant in the rice farming industry. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: Corteva Agriscience, 9330 Zionsville Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268.

™ Trademark of Corteva Agriscience and its respective owners. ©2021 Corteva.

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RICE FARMING

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VICKY BOYD

Submit a nomination for the 2021 Rice Consultant of the Year Award.

Kent McKenzie, who was Rice Experiment Station director before recently retiring, led a team that discovered the ROXY trait that provides resistance to oxyfluorfen herbicide.

Trials put ROXY to the test The ROXY system was first put to the test in a small Glenn County field trial in 2015. It has been trialed in subsequent seasons by the University of California at the Rice Experiment Station and by Butte County Rice Growers Association, Colusa County Farm Supply, Wilbur-Ellis and GrowWest.

Dr. Kassim Al-Khatib, UC Davis weed science professor and Cooperative Extension weed specialist, is developing herbicide programs for the ROXY production system that bring in residuals and other modes of action.

This season, researchers plan to expand trials both in size and geographic distribution to take into account variations in soil type, microclimates and production environments. They also hope to zero in on optimum oxyfluorfen rates as well as finetune water management.

In a water-seeded program, growers would apply ALB2023 on dry soil after injecting fertilizer and rolling/grooving the surface. Then they’d flood up and have their seed flown on.

So far, the system has provided good to very good control of both early and late watergrass, redstem, duck salad and sprangletop in trials, McKenzie said.

Although there was a slight delay in the heading and maturity of 17Y300 and 19Y400, he said yields of the two have been comparable to their non-ROXY counterparts, M-206 and M-210.

In trials with drill-seeded rice, the sys-

tem also provided good weed control with no maturity delays, McKenzie said.

In addition, researchers looked at ALB2024 postemergence to control weedy rice in 2020. Because no one wanted to bring weedy rice seed onto the experiment station, they used the short-grain koshihikari as a surrogate.

They mixed 20% koshi with two ROXY lines and drill planted it. A post-plant preflood application of ALB2023 followed by a post application of ALB2024 provided “encouraging” results by removing the surrogate and leaving the ROXY rice, he said. McKenzie plans to repeat it this year and add a water-seeding trial as well.

Road to registration To gain registration on rice, Shelton said, Albaugh has conducted needed residue and tolerances. The California Department of Pesticide Regulation has its own set of data requirements, which Albaugh also will have to meet.

He said the company successfully requested concurrent state and federal registration reviews and planned to submit the registration packet for ALB 2023 to the two agencies by the end of March.

This is not the first time that Albaugh has partnered with a grower-owned group to bring a novel trait to market. The company’s first effort involved the CoAXium Wheat Production System and Aggressor herbicide, a collaboration among the Colorado Wheat Research Foundation, Albaugh and Limagrain Cereal Seeds.

RICEFARMING.COM

2021

N O M I N A T I O N

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 U.S. rice industry.

“Crop consultants are invaluable to rice farming operations throughout the Mid-South. The agronomic advice consultants provide ensures the future profitability and viability of the rice industry for generations to come,” says Clark Smith, product manager for rice herbicides, Corteva Agriscience.

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.

F O R M

“At Corteva, we are honored to sponsor the Rice Consultant of the Year Award, recognizing those consultants who most exceed expectations for their contributions to the rice industry,” he says.

The RCOY Award recipient will:  Be featured in a four-page salute in Rice Farming magazine and honored at a special recognition event.  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.

Consultant’s Name: Company Name: Mailing Address: City:

State:

Phone:

Email:

ZIP:

Please describe the dedication, leadership and innovation that makes this person a good candidate for the 2021 Rice Consultant of the Year Award. (Be as specific as posible, and use a separate sheet, if needed.)

Submit all materials via: Email: csmith@onegrower.com Mail: Carroll Smith 7201 Eastern Ave. Germantown, TN 38138 Online: ricefarming.com/rcoy

Your Name:

Submit nominations

by July 15, 2021.

Address: City:

State:

Phone:

Email:

S P O N S O R E D

ZIP:

B Y

Abbreviated Rules. No Purchase Necessary. Contest ends on 7/15/21 at 11:59:59 PM (CT). To enter, go to http://www.ricefarming.com/rcoy. Nominators must be legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry and possess knowledge and/or experience in the rice farming industry. Entrants must be legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry and serve as a rice consultant in the rice farming industry. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: Corteva Agriscience, 9330 Zionsville Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268. ™

Trademark of Corteva Agriscience and its affiliated companies. ©2021 Corteva.

Industry

Mo Way, wife Jeanie and dog Sophie relax in their yard near Beaumont, Texas.

Nominate an industry leader for a 2021 Rice Award

For the past 49 years, 37 of which were with Texas A&M AgriLife as a research entomologist, Mo Way served the rice industry. During that time, he also promoted rice and science to countless students as well as to 4-H and FFA members. For his efforts, Way was named the 2020 Rice Lifetime Achievement winner.

Perhaps you know someone like Way who has spent his or her lifetime bettering the rice industry, or you know a rice farmer or non-farmer who has exhibited strong industry leadership. Nominate him or her for one of three 2021 Rice Awards: Rice Farmer of the Year, Rice Industry Award and Rice Lifetime Achievement Award.

A nomination form is available on page 5. You may also nominate someone by clicking on the “2021 Rice Award” button on the Rice Farming website, www.rice farming.com.

Deadline for nominations is June 30.

For more information or questions, contact Carroll Smith at 901-326-4443 and leave a voice mail or email her at csmith@ onegrower.com.

Winners will be featured in a special print tribute in the December issue of Rice Farming and will be recognized during the awards luncheon at the USA Rice Outlook Conference scheduled for December in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Rice Awards are sponsored by Horizon Ag, USA Rice and Rice Farming magazine.

Arva Intelligence launches carbon calculator program

Arva Intelligence has launched the Arva Carbon Ready Program to support advisers and their growers to prepare for emerging carbon markets. The program starts

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News

with agronomic data farmers and advisers already collect and fills in gaps where data is missing.

“When it comes to carbon in agriculture, it is kind of a wild west out there,” Mark Isbell, co-founder of Arva Intelligence and originator of some of the first carbon offsets in rice production, said in a news release. “What will differentiate the high-quality carbon offsets from a flood of commodity credits will be the data, your data, that supports the results and documents your regenerative practices.”

Isbell farms with his family near Humnoke, Arkansas. Instead of going to five different platforms to collect data, the program brings it into one platform to calculate a farm’s potential.

To learn more about the Carbon Ready Program, visit arvaintelligence.com.

Deere launches weed-detecting spray system

John Deere has launched See & Spray, a system that detects green plant material on fallow ground to activate the system. Once weeds are detected by the camera, a signal is sent back to the controller.

Once the controller identifies an area of the field that’s green, a signal is sent across the boom to activate on specific nozzles. The number of nozzles activated can range from one to the entire boom.

For non-fallow spraying, operators can change to a traditional broadcast from inside the cabin. Compared to traditional broadcast sprayers, the See & Spray system can apply up to 77% less herbicide.

For more information, visit https:/www. deere.com/en/agriculture/.

Delta Plastics introduces pick-up app, updated Pipe Planner

Little Rock, Arkansas-based Delta Plastics has introduced a “Push for Pick Up” mobile app and an upgraded mobile-friendly version of its Pipe Planner software.

Push for Pick Up, Delta’s newest proprietary technology, is a dedicated mo-

bile application designed to help Delta’s end-users request collection of their used polytube product.

The app is currently available for download on the Apple App Store and will soon be available for Android.

Pipe Planner’s latest release marks the fourth iteration of the software. The new version, funded in part through a partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Arkansas, includes major feature upgrades to make the tool more user-friendly.

It includes a fully mobile-optimized interface designed to align with how modern-day farmers work in real time in the field. For more information, visit https:// www.deltaplastics.com/.

Producers Rice, solar firm ink deal to build solar project

More than 18 months in the works, Producers Rice Mill and Scenic Hill Solar finally received approval from the Arkansas Public Service Commission to build a 26-megawatt DC solar power plant combined with up to 40 megawatt-hours of energy storage capacity.

When completed, it will be the largest commercial solar plant and battery storage system in the state.

The project will be built on 160 acres of land at Producers Rice Mill in Stuttgart, Arkansas. It will involve more than 65,000 solar panels and is expected to provide about two-thirds of the electricity consumed by the Stuttgart rice mill, according to a news release.

The project will generate about 44.2 million kilowatt-hours of electricity during its first year of operation or the equivalent of what is consumed by about 151,000 homes annually.

The $55 million project is expected to save the rice co-op more than $100 million in electricity costs over the next 30 years. If all goes according to plans, it is expected to be operational in late 2021 or early 2022.

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Please take a minute to renew online to ensure you don’t miss a single issue.

We would also love to hear about specific topics you feel need more attention to help you produce a successful crop.

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INSIDE: 2020 RICE CONSULTANT OF THE YEAR AMY BETH DOWDY

Treat weeds in row rice like any othe r row crop

VICKY BOYD

University of California Cooperative Extension rice specialist Bruce Linquist (right) explains the workings of the GreenSeeker handheld device during the 2019 California Rice Experiment Station Field Day as UCCE rice systems advisor Luis Espino looks on.

Not too much, not too little but just right Nitrogen management can help control rice diseases and boost quality.

By Bob Johnson

K

nowing how much nitrogen to apply to rice, and when, is the key to good yields and to managing diseases such as blast and stem rot. Too much fertilizer can encourage either of these important diseases, farm advisors say. Scaling back to just enough can make a large difference in bringing the crop back to health.

“I know of a couple fields where they were able to reduce stem rot quite a bit by adjusting their nitrogen,” said Luis Espino, University of California Cooperative Extension rice systems advisor.

Stem rot begins as black lesions at the water line on the leaves, which eventually die. The disease can also survive in the soil and crop residue.

Espino made his remarks on the role nutrient management can

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play in disease control as researchers discussed the benefits of targeting rice fertilizer applications during the UC’s 2021 virtual rice grower meeting.

“Excess nitrogen can also aggravate blast,” Espino said, referring to the fungal disease that has been widespread in Sacramento Valley rice fields the past two years. “Keep an eye on your fertility. Use as much nitrogen as you need to maximize your yield, but don’t apply any extra.”

Economical nitrogen evaluation Researchers are developing new, relatively low-cost ways for farmers to evaluate whether they need to apply additional nitrogen at midseason.

RICEFARMING.COM

“It can be difficult to eyeball whether you need a top-dress application,” said Bruce Linquist, UC Cooperative Extension rice specialist. “Do a nitrogen-rich test strip and use the GreenSeeker NDVI response index to help you make a decision.”

Many grain growers already use nitrogen-rich test strips.

They are relatively small strips within the field that receive unusually high fertilizer levels to let the farmer see whether the rest of the field would turn greener if it had enough nitrogen.

The GreenSeeker is a hand-held device that measures the normalized difference vegetative index in the nitrogen test strip and the rest of the field.

The response index is the ratio between those two numbers.

“We’re suggesting a 1.09 response index to make a top-dress application,” Linquist said. “That should give you about a 200-pound yield increase, which will pay for the top dress.”

Nitrogen management Researchers are also looking closely at granular nitrogen sources that can be used when it is impractical to apply all the fertilizer before the field is flooded.

“In general, the later you applied the granular nitrogen or split it, the higher the yield you got,” Linquist said.

Although researchers caution that applying too much fertilizer in the middle of the season can cause problems, they also advise against applying all the nitrogen at the beginning of the season.

“When you apply all the nitrogen up front, there are a lot of ways you can lose it to the environment,” Linquist cautioned.

For every ton of rice yield, UC research shows there is an average of 22 pounds of nitrogen in the grain and an additional 13 pounds in the straw.

This detail in deciding how much nitrogen to apply, and when, is worth the trouble, the UC specialists said. It not only results in the best crop at the lowest fertilizer cost while maintaining environmental values, but it also helps manage important diseases.

Blast is a fungus that can cause kernel blanking. The pathogens then remain in the crop residue and ground, ready to infest the crop the next year.

“We saw a lot of blast in the northern end of the Sacramento Valley in 2020, in TWITTER: @RICEFARMING

“Excess nitrogen can also aggravate blast. Keep an eye on your fertility. Use as much nitrogen as you need to maximize your yield, but don’t apply any extra.”

Glenn and Butte counties and the northern end of Colusa County,” Espino said. “We saw a lot of blast in 2019, too.”

Though precise nitrogen management is an important economical tool for managing blast, variety selection can also help, he said.

“M-210 is a blast-resistant variety,” Espino said. “M-210 is almost identical to M-206 genetically, so if you grow M-206, you know how M-210 is going to respond.”

Blast-resistant M-210 In four years of UC trials, the blast-resistant M-210 out-yielded its familiar cousin M-206 by 28 to 180 pounds. But M-210 was more prone to lodging, which is not a prime virtue of the widely grown M-206 variety.

“M-206 lodged significantly more than M-105 across all nitrogen rates, and applying all the nitrogen up front did not

increase lodging relative to split applications,” Linquist said.

Another strategy worth considering under high blast pressure, Espino said, is a fungicide application to knock down pathogen levels.

“If you see leaf blast, I would consider an application,” he advised.

Stem rot is another disease favored by too much nitrogen and less than the optimal 80 pounds of potassium per acre, according to Espino.

Fungicides can also knock down stem rot pressure, but nutrient management, residue management and the use of less susceptible varieties are the preferred methods of control, he said.

Bob Johnson is a reporter in Sacramento. He may be contacted at bjohn11135@ gmail.com. This article originally appeared in the California Farm Bureau Federation’s weekly publication, Ag Alert.

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Don’t just water. Irrigate!

DR. JARROD T. HARDKE

ARKANSAS Assoc. Professor/Rice Extension Agronomist University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture jhardke@uada.edu In recent years, the focus of irrigation management in rice has taken on a whole new twist. The increase in furrow-irrigated rice, or row rice, has now surpassed 15% of the rice acres in Arkansas.

While this practice has the potential to reduce irrigation demand, it is not always the case depending on the situation.

Irrigation is often not needed as frequently in furrow-irrigated rice as many may believe. Consider rice is a semi-aquatic plant that tolerates a flood but doesn’t require one. Rice may be more prone to drought stress than other rotational crops, but it doesn’t require a flooded soil condition to achieve maximum yields.

In general, without the aid of irrigation tools, such as soil mois-

ture sensors and surge valves, irrigation may be needed on a silt loam soil every three to five days or on a clay soil every five to seven days. It should be noted that time between irrigations can be greater, particularly with the help of heavy rainfall.

The greatest risk from a water management standpoint in furrow-irrigated rice is allowing the soil to become too dry during reproductive growth — that is, from panicle initiation through grain fill. Soil moisture sensors can be particularly helpful during this period to ensure we don’t suffer yield loss due to “watering on a calendar” and allowing the soil to dry too much between irrigations.

Multiple-inlet rice irrigation, using poly tubing to irrigate all paddies simultaneously, is always worth mentioning. We currently use this practice on more than 30% of rice acre in Arkansas.

When you take zero-grade fields out of that equation, the use is higher. However, there are still many acres that can benefit from this practice.

Using MIRI allows us to flood paddies up evenly, minimizing water loss from trying to cascade water down the field through the gates. In addition, we can set gates higher to allow us to capture rainfall. The biggest burdens are the cost of the pipe and the time to install the pipe and get the gates set, but these can be offset by water savings and management efficiency.

VICKY BOYD

Multiple-inlet rice irrigation, using poly tubing to irrigate all paddies simultaneously, is currently used on more than 30% of rice acres in Arkansas.

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JACK KELLY CLARK, COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA STATEWIDE IPM PROGRAM

Try MIRI on a field, but be sure to use a rice irrigation app to determine the number of holes needed per paddy or you may minimize the benefits of the practice. Not every field will be as easy to institute the practice, so start with a simpler field and expand from there.

Whether it’s irrigation or anything else rice related, contact your county Extension agent or a specialist if we can help. Best of luck in 2021.

‘Best thing you can put on your field is your shadow’ DR. LUIS ESPINO

CALIFORNIA University of California Cooperative Extension Rice Farm Adviser, Butte and Glenn Counties laespino@ucanr.edu When I was a graduate student in Texas, my major professor, M.O. Way (happy retirement Mo!) always used to tell rice growers in his presentations: “The best thing you can put on your field is your shadow!” He is right.

Monitoring is key for good pest management and to achieve a good stand. Recent experiments have shown that for M-206, the stand that maximizes yield is 25 plants per square foot.

When the stand was reduced to 12.5 plants per square foot, yields were reduced 10%. These numbers can change with variety and year, but they give you a guideline of what to shoot for when assessing stand.

For weed management, herbicide programs are chosen ahead of planting; however, monitoring is needed to make sure you are applying them at the right growth stage of the weed and rice. The UC IPM website has good pictures of rice weeds as seedlings, so you can properly identify them early in the season.

Monitoring for weeds will allow you to adjust your weed control program to address weed population shifts or resistance issues the following year.

When it comes to arthropods, tadpole shrimp and rice seed midge are the pests you want to be on the lookout for soon after planting. Factors that affect these two pests are the length of time to flood and temperature.

When fields take a long time to flood, shrimp have more time to develop to a size that can injure rice; similarly, midge adults will have more time to lay eggs in the water, resulting in a large number of larvae.

Development of these two pests will be faster when it is warm.

Inspect the water and the seeds — the water for presence of tadpole shrimp and the seeds for signs of midge or shrimp feeding.

Tadpole shrimp will feed on the germinating coleoptile or roots, cutting them. Midge can do this and consume the inside of the seed. In some cases, midge can feed on the first rice leaves, but this type of feeding usually does not cause a problem. Once the seedlings have a well-developed spike, the risk of damage by these pests is small.

TWITTER: @RICEFARMING

Rice seed midge damage to germinating rice seed

With regard to diseases, seed rot and seedling disease can reduce stands. These two diseases will affect the germinating seeds soon after seeding. Generally, they are a problem during cool springs. The slow seed germination due to cool temperature gives the pathogens more time to produce infections.

To determine if seeds are infected, observe them under water and look for whitish or greenish outgrowths of mycelium coming out of the seed. When the water is muddy, this can prove challenging — pushing a clear glass jar to the bottom of the water can help.

Seedling weed ID is key to early season weed control DR. RONNIE LEVY

LOUISIANA Extension Rice Specialist Louisiana State University RLevy@agcenter.lsu.edu Identification of early season seedling weeds is often difficult due to the small size and similarity of various seedlings. The “Schematic Diagram for Seedling Weed Identification in Rice” publication is available on the LSU AgCenter’s website (https://bit.ly/38YtWVr).

Weeds are some of the most troublesome pests in rice production in the United States and throughout the world. They compete with rice for water, nutrients, space and light. Direct losses from weed competition can exceed 50%.

Indirect losses, such as increased costs of harvesting and drying, reduce quality and increase dockage at the mill. These losses are not easy to measure but can greatly reduce profits.

Therefore, weed control measures should include all activities used in different production practices and systems.

Although weeds vary in their ability to compete with rice, most fields contain a complex of weeds that will reduce yield and quality if an appropriate weed management strategy is not implemented.

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Rice weed control is best accomplished by using a combination of cultural, mechanical and chemical management practices. Relying on a single control practice seldom provides adequate weed management.

While using water to control weeds can be a major asset, thorough knowledge of weeds present in each field is critical in developing appropriate management strategies. The most important factor in weed control is selecting the proper herbicides in your weed management program.

The program should begin the previous year or two prior to planting.

A history of the weed pressure will help identify which ones will require the most herbicide dollars. Keeping visual and written records of weeds, herbicide treatments and their control for each field is important. Don’t trust your memory.

Six basic application timings should be considered when choosing your herbicide program: (1) burndown prior to planting, (2) preplant incorporated, (3) preemergence prior to planting, (4) preemergence after planting, (5) delayed preemergence (drill-seeded only) and (6) postemergence.

As you can see, most timings target weeds prior to rice emergence or small weed seedlings. Yield losses occur from early competition. Don’t wait!

General weed control programs are often decided before the season begins and are determined based on the past weed species present in a field and past success or failures in weed control.

However, you should always scout fields for weed species present and modify herbicide applications depending on the ones in the field.

COURTESY LSU AGCENTER

Specialists

This two- to three-leaf Amazon sprangletop can easily be mistaken for other grass species.

LSU AGCENTER

Weed seedlings can outcompete young rice for light, space and nutrients. Accurate identification is the first step to controlling weeds.

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RICEFARMING.COM

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