Rice farming may 2016 by One Grower Publishing

www.ricefarming.com

ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC

PROFITABLE PRODUCTION STRATEGIES

MAY 2016

River water flowing once again to farmers west of Houston Mark your (disease) calendar and be prepared to scout

On the march Research seeks integrated Mexican rice borer control

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May 2016

www.ricefarming.com

COV ER STORY

COLUMNS From the Editor

Vol. 50, No. 6

Help Rice Farming celebrate our golden anniversary

USA Rice Update

Promoting a big crop

DEPA RTM EN TS Industry News

Rice business scene

Specialists Speaking

Take integrated approach to seasonal pest management

ON THE COVER: A Mexican rice borer larva infests a rice stem. Photo by Dr. Johnny Saichuck, LSU AgCenter Extension rice specialist emeritus

On the march As Mexican rice borer expands, Texas A&M and LSU partner to study new management regimes and control methods.

FEATUR ES

Dark cloud hangs over market To spur positive momentum, demand and accompanying sales will need to increase.

A sushi-like marriage ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC

MAY 2016

Survey ranks Palmer amaranth as most troublesome weed

Get a jump on resistance

Tankmix or rotate chemistries to fight frogeye leaf spot

Look for the Soybean South supplement included with the Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas versions of Rice Farming.

Winter-flooded rice fields may double as ‘surrogate wetlands,’ aiding survival of imperiled salmon species.

Rain brings relief GET CONNECTED Stay up-to-date with the latest from Rice Farming. Like us on Facebook: Search for RiceFarming Follow us on Twitter: @RiceFarming Follow us on Instagram: @ricefarming TWITTER: @RICEFARMING

For the first time in four years, producers west of Houston will receive surface irrigation deliveries this season.

Mark your (disease) calendar

10 13 14

In years like this with extended wet periods, scouting is critical to catch diseases early. RICE FARMING • MAY 2016

FROM THE EDITOR

Help Rice Farming celebrate our golden anniversary Not too long ago, I was talking to a retired University of California Cooperative Extension farm adviser about Farm Bureau farm centers. Back in the days before paved roads and the Internet, these local meeting halls served as an outreach for Farm Bureau and provided input opportunities for rural residents who couldn’t make it to town. In San Joaquin County, where this farm adviser first cut his teeth, there were roughly a dozen farm centers and substantial rice acreage. Part of his job each month was to visit one farm center and give an update on his work. How times have changed. The Internet and cell service now connect us from our tractor and combine cabs to the world — we don’t even have to go into the office to access records, thanks to the cloud. GPS allows us to go back to within less than an inch of where we left off in the field, and Louisiana State University AgCenter specialists text alerts to growers’ smartphones. Help us look back at the past 50 years of Rice Farming magazine and the rice industry by sharing some of your family’s rice farming history. We plan to publish a special golden anniversary issue February 2017, and we’d like to include as many photos and stories from you, our readers, as possible. It’s easy to contribute. Do you have old family photos, possibly of your grandfather harvesting rice in an open-cab combine or driving an old truck to the elevator? Do you have black-and-white pictures of your grandparents at the “home” ranch where they first started growing rice? Simply scan the photos, save them as high-resolution (large file size) jpg or pdf files, and email them to us. Please don’t send the originals as we know they are valuable, and the U.S. Postal Service can be unreliable. Please include a description of the people in the photo or a story of no more than 400 words to go along with the picture. Make sure to include your name and contact information. We won’t print your contact information, but we need it in case we have to follow up. Send your photos and stories to Rice Farming Editor Vicky Boyd at vlboyd@onegrower.com.

Vicky Send your comments to: Editor, Rice Farming Magazine, 6515 Goodman Road, Box 360, Olive Branch, MS 38654. Call 901-767-4020 or email vlboyd@onegrower.com.

4 RICE FARMING • MAY 2016

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

ADMINISTRATION Publisher/Vice President Lia Guthrie 901-497-3689 lguthrie@onegrower.com Associate Publisher Carroll Smith 901-326-4443 csmith@onegrower.com Sales Manager Scott Emerson 386-462-1532 semerson@onegrower.com Circulation Manager Charlie Beek 615-377-3322 Production Manager Kathy Killingsworth 901-767-4020 kkillingsworth@onegrower.com For circulation changes or change of address, call 847-559-7578

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, 6515 Goodman Road, Box 360, Olive Branch, MS 38654. Periodicals postage paid at Memphis, TN. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to OMEDA COMMUNICATIONS, CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT, P.O. BOX 1388, NORTHBROOK, IL 60065-1388. Annual subscriptions are $25.00. International rates are $55.00 Canada/Mexico, $90.00 all other countries for AirSpeeded Delivery. (Surface delivery not available due to problems in reliability.) $5.00 single copy. All statements, including product claims, are those of the person or organization making the statement or claim. The publisher does not adopt any such statement or claims as its own and any such statement or claim does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher. RICE FARMING is a registered trademark of One Grower Publishing LLC, which reserves all rights granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in association with its registration.

One Grower Publishing, LLC 6515 Goodman Road, Box 360, Olive Branch, MS 38654 Phone: 901-767-4020

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USA Rice

Update

Promoting a big crop Whether domestically or abroad, USA Rice will be kept busy this year increasing marketshare and opening new markets for U.S. rice.

By Betsy Ward President and CEO USA Rice

s we head into another growing season, initial reports are pointing to a large crop for this fall. And that means we’re going to be that much busier at USA Rice as we work to find markets — new and old — for all that delicious, healthy rice. And find them we will. It’s what we do.

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS

Creating opportunities at home USA Rice’s promotion efforts have played a strong role in the demonstrable increases in domestic consumption of U.S.-grown rice. Back in 1960, per-capita rice consumption was less than 10 pounds. Today it’s 27 pounds, and we’re shooting for more ... in unique ways. For example, USA Rice was able to persuade the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to extend the whole-grain health claim to brown rice, opening up a whole new avenue of sales opportunities. If you ask consumers today why they choose brown rice, they’ll tell you, “because it’s healthy.” Creating that response was the work of USA Rice with your check-off support. USA Rice also saw a great opportunity to work with USDA to get rice into the agency’s $6 billion Women, Infants & Children (WIC) food aid program. Now rice is an integral part of that important social safety net. We also worked with USDA and other agencies to ensure rice is included in school lunches and in international food aid programs — and we continue to expand our reach each year. Working with consumers In an effort to maximize the resources you send us, we work with influence leaders — food bloggers and writers, and health professionals, especially at the retail level — creating materials for them and enlisting their help to spread the word about the health benefits of U.S.-grown rice. They generate millions

6 RICE FARMING • MAY 2016

of consumer impressions and fill our database with trendy, exciting recipes and photography, all for a fraction of what it should really cost. International markets With nearly half of our crop heading overseas, the holy grail for U.S.-grown rice is dependable foreign markets. You probably are aware that U.S.-grown rice is exported to more than 100 countries each year, but you may not realize that we maintain promotion programs in about 30 of them. We provide simple trade servicing in places like Costa Rica to large, full-blown promotion programs in markets like Mexico. Two of the largest potential markets we are currently working on were once great markets for U.S. rice. But now one is non-existent and the other has great potential but is inconsistent. I’m talking about Cuba and Iraq. USA Rice has maintained excellent relationships in Cuba, regularly visiting the island and participating in trade shows since 1990 — something that doesn’t go unnoticed there. In April, USA Rice co-hosted an event in Washington, D.C., for officials from the Cuban embassy and Alimport, the government agency responsible for agricultural imports including 600,000 metric tons of rice annually. Juan Leon, official ambassador of the Cuban Ministry of Agriculture, said at the event, “The U.S. has great quality food, for instance, great quality long-grain rice, and we think U.S. imports to Cuba will pick up again very soon.” We agree. Some 7,000 miles east of Havana lies Baghdad, where USA Rice hired a consultant to help navigate the complex tendering process. We called on congressional allies to keep pressure on the Iraqi government and enlisted the help of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. With their guidance — and thanks to the relationships our contractor helped forge on the ground for us and U.S. companies — we recently announced the successful sale of 90,000 metric tons of U.S.-grown rice to Iraq. I’m positive more successes are on the horizon. That’s your trade organization. That’s USA Rice. Wishing you all a successful summer. RICEFARMING.COM

Rice Farming – A Rewarding Challenge John Durand John Durand Farms Catahoula, La.

I began farming in 2000 when my grandfather, Emile Barras, offered me a 600-acre tract that I converted from a catfish farm back to fields suited for rice and crawfish. Although I had always wanted to farm, this ground was a real challenge since it had been flooded for 20 years. I learned a lot about moving dirt and leveling land. Today, my wife, Frannie, and I farm 3,100 acres of hybrid rice, soybeans and crawfish in St. Martin Parish. Rice yields in 2015 were down about 12 percent from the year before because of all the wet weather we experienced. We had to rush seedbed preparation and planting, the stands were weak, and fertilizer uptake wasn’t what it normally is. We had to go with higher herbicide rates since the pre-emerges didn’t hold up. A number of factors related to weather contributed to yields being off. The weed spectrum on our farm is pretty much the same every year. Baryardgrass is our main target weed, along with bearded sprangletop and creeping burhead. In November, we apply a residual herbicide to hold down the grass and then come back with an application of Command and glyphosate behind the planter. We stay on top of red rice with a last-minute shot of glyphosate if weather permits. The challenge here is the small window of application to kill the red rice before the good crop comes up. To control barnyardgrass, nutsedge and hemp sesbania, we apply 2 ounces of Grasp SC with either 1/3 ounce of Permit or Halomax pre-flood. This year, we went out early with Grasp, which has a two- to three-week residual, because some barnyardgrass was breaking through. RebelEX is typically applied to control sprangletop as soon as the rice can take a flood. We flush the field the day before, pull the drains the night before and fly it onto a really wet base. Within six hours, we can start the pumps again to keep the ground wet so red rice won’t break on us. Red rice and sprangletop like to emerge from cracks in the ground. Another challenge that we face is trying to balance the fertilizer and not rob the soil of its nutrients. We soil sample before planting, after harvesting the first crop and again after harvesting the ratoon crop. For the first crop, we apply fertilizer pre-flood, green ring and early boot. The ratoon crop gets two applications – preflood and topdress. By applying phosphate ahead of the ratoon crop, we hope to improve plant health and stooling. We don’t have any hard numbers yet, but we are taking another look at it this year. We also are trying different things with Hydra-Hume and organic matter to release nutrients that are tied up in the soil. One advantage that we have in South Louisiana is the ability to grow a ratoon crop. Ratoon yields have been good for three consecutive years. The ratoon crop saved us after the first crop yield reduction we experienced last year. Moving forward into the 2016 season, our overall plan is to buckle down and hope for the best. Rice farming is a challenge, but that’s why I like it so much.

• Began farming in 2000 after converting a 600-acre catfish farm back to rice and crawfish • Farms 1,200 acres of rice, 600 acres of soybeans and 800 acres of crawfish today • Diversified businesses include custom harvesting and land leveling • Member of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation and state rice organizations • Regularly attends LSU AgCenter and RiceTec field days • Sat on Dow AgroSciences panel at the 2014 Conservation Systems Cotton & Rice Conference • Married to wife and farm co-owner, Frannie, for 12 years. Two sons: Ben, 6, and Max, 4 • Enjoys deer and duck hunting and spending quality time with the family

Recap: Rice Farming – A Rewarding Challenge

1. I began farming in 2000 after converting a 600-acre catfish farm back to fields suited for rice and crawfish. 2. Baryardgrass is our main target weed, along with bearded sprangletop and creeping burhead. In November, we apply a residual herbicide to hold down the grass and then come back with an application of Command and glyphosate behind the planter. 3. RebelEX is typically applied to control sprangletop as soon as the rice can take a flood. 4. We try to balance the fertilizer and not rob the soil of nutrients. We soil sample before planting and after harvesting the first crop and the ratoon crop.

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DOW Diamond, Grasp and RebelEX are trademarks of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow. Grasp Xtra 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. Always read and follow label directions. ©2016 Dow AgroSciences LLC

®™

Dark cloud hangs over market To create positive momentum and remove the cloud moving forward, demand and accompanying sales will need to increase. By Kurt Guidry

Iraqi sale buoys hopes; more are needed To create any type of positive momentum moving forward, this market will need to start seeing more consistent positive news on the demand side. One bit of good demand news was USDA’S Export Sales Report showed a very strong week (April 18) with sales up significantly from both the previous week and the previous four-week average. Leading the way was a 90,000 metric-ton sale of long-grain milled rice to Iraq. It is believed that roughly 60,000 metric tons of this sale will come from South Louisiana, with the remaining

8 RICE FARMING • MAY 2016

BRUCE SCHULTZ, LSU AGCENTER

hile there were no changes made in the supplyand-demand numbers released in the April release of U.S. Department of Agriculture’s World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates report, the projected 2015/16 marketing year average price range was reduced by 20 to 30 cents per hundredweight. This reduction in the expectation for price reinforces the general stale feel that has existed in the market over the past several months. Helping create this less-than-optimistic view was USDA’s March 31 Planting Intentions report showing rice acres increasing by more than 400,000 acres in 2016 to just more than 3 million acres. All of the major rice-producing states are expected to increase plantings, with Arkansas leading the way with more than 200,000 additional acres in 2016. Although there was some thought that heavy rains and flooding in parts of the Delta and Texas might affect acres, the April 25 USDA Planting Progress report shows 62 percent of rice acres have been planted compared to an average of 45 percent over the previous five years. While Texas and Louisiana report planting progress in line with their five-year averages, all other states show a significantly quicker pace in 2016 than in previous years. So, despite the weather concerns, it appears that this 2016 crop is off to a generally favorable start. There could be some adjustments in acres if we continue to get rain delays or in response to the recent rally in soybean prices, but there is little to suggest that we will see a significantly lower acreage number for 2016 than the one projected in the Planting Intentions report. To this point, much of the fresh fundamental supply-and-demand news for this market has been the potential for increased production and larger supplies for the 2016/17 marketing year. For a market that has historically struggled with finding consistent and reliable demand, the news of higher supplies is certainly enough to place a dark cloud over it.

Despite some initial weather concerns, the 2016 rice crop appears to be off to a generally favorable start. And there’s little to suggest plantings will drop significantly below the 3 million acres projected by USDA.

balance coming from Arkansas. Although this will help keep those mills busy, it is believed that much of the rice needed to fill the order has already been secured and may offer only minimal support to prices. Nevertheless, this is the type of business this market needs on a much more routine basis to begin to start removing the dark cloud and moving prices higher. Despite the positive export numbers, the reality of the rice market is that significant old crop supplies and prospects for increased production in 2016 are likely to limit price movement. Without some type of weather-related event to curtail expected 2016 production or a boost in total rice demand, it is difficult to see any positive momentum being generated. Prices for old crop rice in Louisiana have been reported in the $17 to $18 per-barrel range ($10.50 to $11.11 cwt). New crop rice price offers, however, have been few and far between. The last report put new crop bids in the $16.50 per-barrel to low $17 per-barrel range ($10.20 to $10.50 cwt). Those bid levels have certainly not generated much producer interest. However, without an improvement in the fundamental supply-and-demand outlook, there seems to be little incentive for buyers to push offers higher. Given the current fundamental conditions and outlook, it appears prices for the 2016/17 marketing year are likely destined for a level somewhere in the mid-$14 to mid-$17 per-barrel ($8.95 to $10.80 cwt) range. Dr. Kurt Guidry is an agricultural economist with Louisiana State University’s AgCenter. Contact him at KMGuidry@agcenter.lsu.edu. RICEFARMING.COM

Help Rice Farming celebrate our 50th anniversary in 2017 Share your family’s photos and memories of what it was like growing rice in earlier times.

The February 2017 issue will be devoted to taking a historic look back at the rice industry — the pioneering producers, the varieties and the equipment that set the stage for today. And you can be part of this. Scan a couple of photos (use the highest quality, so the files are fairly large) and send them along with a few paragraphs about the photos or what they bring to mind. The images can be of old equipmnent, varieties, production practices or people. Send the photos along with your description to Rice Farming editor Vicky Boyd at vlboyd@ onegrower.com. Please include your name and contact information, and when and where the photo was taken as we want to give you credit for your contributions. (We won’t print your contact information, but we need it in case we must follow up.) We also recommend you scan the image and keep the original so it won’t get lost or damaged. Thank you in advance for helping make our Golden Anniversary memorable.

A sushi-like marriage CARSON JEFFRES, UC DAVIS

Winter-ﬂooded rice ﬁelds may double as ‘surrogate wetlands,’ aiding survival of imperiled salmon species. Juvenile salmon feast on insects in enclosed areas of a flooded rice field during a 2014 experiment in the Yolo Bypass.

five-year experiment to “plant” juvenile salmon in Yolo County, Calif., rice fields aims to better explain how floodplains support strong salmon populations. Dubbed the “Nigiri Project” for its sushi-like marriage of fish and rice, the research is a collaborative project among the University of California, Davis, Center for Watershed Sciences, the California Department of Water Resources and nonprofit California Trout organization. For the first time this year, the project will compare food web productivity and fish growth in three different kinds of river habitat. As in previous years, one group of juvenile Chinook salmon was held in underwater pens in flooded rice fields. Added this year were a second group in pens floating in agricultural canals and a third in floating pens in the Sacramento River. The experiment began on Feb. 19, and the fish were released about four weeks later. Agricultural runoff water is used to flood the fields during the experiment, fueling the floodplain food web before being flushed into the Delta ecosystem. No new water is used in the experiment. For four consecutive winters, experiments conducted on rice fields at the Knaggs Ranch property near Woodland have documented the fastest growth of juvenile Chinook salmon ever recorded in the Central Valley. Juvenile fish that are larger and healthier when they enter the ocean have better odds of returning as adults, according to the researchers. The results suggest that through better planning and engineering, farm fields can produce agricultural crops in summer as well as food and wildlife habitat during the winter.

10 RICE FARMING • MAY 2016

The experiment also suggests that farmland floodplains can be “surrogate wetlands” managed to mimic the Sacramento River system’s natural annual flooding cycle, which native fish species evolved to depend upon. “Floodplain habitats are essentially a bug buffet for small fish,” says Jacob Katz, central California director for California Trout. “Our previous results have shown that the food-rich floodplains appear to act as an important pit stop for juvenile fish on their downstream journey to the sea.” The Yolo Bypass between Davis and Woodland is one of the last remaining active floodplains in the Central Valley. Enhancing the opportunity for salmon to access and use it could make a difference in fish survival while also helping groundwater recharge, says Louise Conrad of the California Department of Water Resources. “At this point, we feel confident that giving native fish access to the food-rich environment of the floodplain will play a critical role in recovering imperiled salmon,” says Carson Jeffres, field and lab director of the University of California, Davis, Center for Watershed Sciences. “Now we are interested in how food made on the floodplain can benefit the entire river and delta.” The project was funded this year by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, California Trout and California Department of Water Resources. The University of California, Davis, provided information for this article. RICEFARMING.COM

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Keep your eyes peeled for these two weeds By Luis Espino

an idea of its potential impact, just ask any Southern rice grower about red rice and you’ll get an earful. UCCE will be collaborating with other organizations and agencies to get information on identification and management of these weeds. We will be sending information out through our newsletters and websites, so make sure to subscribe. To view a presentation on winged primrose willow, visit http:// rice.ucanr.edu/files/196692.pdf. To learn more about red rice, visit http://rice.ucanr.edu/ files/229841.pdf. Dr. Luis Espino is a University of California Cooperative Extension rice farming systems adviser for Colusa, Glenn and Yolo counties. He may be reached at laespino@ucanr.edu.

Weedy red rice has been found in more than a dozen fields. If allowed to become established, red rice could affect yield and quality.

12 RICE FARMING • MAY 2016

RICEFARMING.COM

COURTESY CLEMSON UNIVERSITY

Red rice Red rice has been found in a few locations in California over the years. In 2003, its presence was confirmed in six fields. In some of these fields, growers were able to eradicate it. Since then, red rice has been found in other locations. The exact number of locations currently affected is unknown, but estimates are about 15. At this moment, red rice does not represent a threat to the industry. But if this weed spreads, it can severely impact the rice industry, affecting yields, quality and production costs. To get

Winged primrose willow has been found in several Butte County, Calif., fields and has spread since it was first confirmed in 2011.

DR. LUIS ESPINO

n addition to the well-known rice weeds we deal with every year in California, there are a couple of weeds I want to bring to your attention this year. One is an invasive and the other has been with us for a while. The winged primrose willow was identified in 2011 in several rice fields near Richvale in Butte County. Since then, it has spread to several other fields up to 3.5 miles south of Richvale. Winged primrose willow was recently given an “A” pest rating by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. What this means is the weed is now considered to be of economic importance and may trigger an enforcement action by the state. Currently, no actions are being considered, but its presence will disqualify a seed field. The rice industry is implementing an outreach, monitoring and control program for winged primrose willow to stop its spread and reduce infestations.

Rains bring relief For the first time in four years, water is flowing from lakes near Austin, Texas, to rice producers west of Houston. By Vicky Boyd Editor

Drought took a toll Four years without water took a toll on farmers and supporting industries, causing several businesses to close or consolidate. Acreage plummeted, with producers only planting 135,000 acres throughout South Texas in 2014, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This season, the USDA forecasts they’ll plant 189,000 acres statewide. Texas rice production is split between regions on the east and west sides of Houston, although the bulk of the crop historically has been grown west of Houston. Water is welcomed Farmers in Colorado County also welcomed the water. Rice producer Tom Kelley says river water is less expensive than well water, but that doesn’t mean farmers will rely solely on it. Farmers Twitter: @RiceFarming

COURTESY TEXAS FARM BUREAU

ater from the Highland Lakes is once again flowing down the Colorado River to the Texas Coastal Bend, bringing hope to rice producers, many of whom have struggled the past four years without surface supplies. For the first time since May 2010, the Highland Lakes in Austin are full. That’s good news for rice producers in Wharton, Matagorda and Colorado counties who can now pump water from the lakes through the Colorado River to irrigate their fields. “We started pumping water out of the canal around the 20th of March,” says Paul Sliva, a Matagorda County rice farmer. “There was quite a bit of water delivered for those first couple of weeks.” That water, combined with several inches of rain, led to wet fields for Sliva, which can be good for rice, provided they aren’t too wet. “Finally I’m starting to dry out — we really just need to dry out to help these plants grow. It’s not just the rice. The milo and corn are all saturated,” he says. If the weather remains warm and sunny, growers in the area should be off to a good start, says Dick Ottis, president of Rice Belt Warehouse Inc. in El Campo. Last year, late spring and early summer were marked by cool, cloudy weather. As a result, rice plants struggled and first crop yields were reduced by an estimated 20 percent. Rice Belt Warehouse sells both conventional and organic rice seed. Based on sales of conventional varieties, Ottis says he’s optimistic about this season. “On the conventional side, we’re up at least 20 percent on what I think the acreage will be in this area,” he says. “Today (May 3) is beautiful, with blue sky and 58 degrees, which is a little cool. But we’ll get to 80 degrees. If we can keep doing this, we’ll have some good yields.”

Heavy winter and spring rains have filled lakes in the upper watershed, bringing hope to growers west of Houston who have had to endure four years of drought.

in Colorado County have spent thousands of dollars to drill wells and will likely continue to use them to supplement river water. According to the Lower Colorado River Authority, which manages water in lakes Travis and Buchanan, the water bodies together were 90 percent full on March 1. Under LCRA’s new water management plan, those conditions mean up to 202,000 acre-feet of interruptible stored water is available for diversion for downstream agriculture. Interruptible means just that — during a dry year, the authority can reduce or even cut off deliveries. In return, users are charged lower rates. The plan, approved by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in 2015, sets March 1 and July 1 as dates for determining the amount of water interruptible customers receive for their first and second crops. Following heavy rains and flooding in mid-April, the lakes rose to 100 percent full, which prompted LCRA to open the gates on Mansfield Dam for the first time in years. That bodes well for farmers who look to a July 1 determination from LCRA about whether water will be allocated for a second, or ratoon, rice crop. “Thankfully, with as much water as we’ve had, we’re going to get a second crop water that we need,” Sliva says. “We’ll all get second crop water because the lakes are full, and they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.” But State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon reports the emergence of a La Niña weather pattern, which typically brings drier weather to Texas. The Texas Farm Bureau contributed information for this article. RICE FARMING • MAY 2016

Mark your (disease) calendar In years like this with extended periods of wet weather at seed emergence, early scouting is critical to catch diseases. By Bobby Golden and Tom Allen

14 RICE FARMING • MAY 2016

Pythium root rot Seed decay/rot

Leaf blast Narrow brown leaf spot Stem rot

Leaf blast Narrow brown leaf spot Neck blast Sheath blight Bacterial panicle blight False smut Kernel smut Leaf blast Leaf smut Narrow brown leaf spot Neck blast Rotten neck blast Sheath blight

NOTE: Calendar month of disease issue depends on rice seeding date. Arrows to the right of a disease suggest that disease could occur later, depending on seeding date. x Observatioins of leaf smut are common, but the disease is not of economic concern; therefore, fungicide application is not necessary to manage the disease. u

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS

couting rice for economically important diseases is critical throughout the entire season. In years such as 2016, with extended periods of wet weather that have plagued emergence, scouting is paramount. Once rice is seeded, seed- and seedling-associated diseases can reduce rice stand density and increase the risks associated with weed seed development. Seeding date directly influences the disease complex present. Most early season diseases are soilborne; therefore, rice seeded at later dates (late April or early May) typically encounters a reduced incidence of seedling diseases. But diseases can still be an issue, depending on the environment that occurs subsequent to seeding even in the presence of a seed-applied fungicide. Poor environmental conditions that prolong germination and emergence can often outlast the period associated with seed treatment residual efficacy — generally 14 to 21 days, depending on active ingredient applied. In general, seed-applied fungicides aid in producing an even stand. Keep in mind that most of the economically important rice diseases occur post-flood and include sheath blight, blast, smuts and rots. Since 2014, the predominant disease issues encountered in Mississippi have included sheath blight and blast, with limited occurrences of stem rots. Leaf blast has been observed on susceptible cultivars. But neck blast has not followed the leaf phase in every situation. Even though leaf blast can oftentimes look bad in field situations, proper scouting and management with a carefully timed fungicide application can aid in reducing the severity of yield losses associated with neck blast. Sheath blight continues to be the most important disease economically in Mississippi rice production. Although the

Sheath blight is the most economically important rice disease in Mississippi.

sheath blight fungus in Louisiana has been documented to be resistant to the strobilurin class of fungicides, currently stand-alone strobilurin fungicides or products that contain a strobilurin active ingredient are still effective on sheath blight in Mississippi.

Dr. Bobby Golden is a Mississippi State University Extension rice and soil fertility agronomist based at the Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville. He may be reached at BGolden@drec.msstate.edu. Dr. Tom Allen is an Extension plant pathologist also based at MSU’s Delta Research and Extension Center. He may be reached at TAllen@drec.msstate.edu. RICEFARMING.COM

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On the march As Mexican rice borer expands, a collaborative effort is studying new management regimes and control methods. By Vicky Boyd Editor

ince the Mexican rice borer was first confirmed in Texas in the 1980s, it has slowly expanded its range throughout Southeast Texas and into Southwestern Louisiana, infesting rice, sugar cane and a host of grassy weeds. Although researchers and growers have found an insecticidal seed treatment helps manage the pest in both the first and second, or ratoon, rice crops, they agree that relying on one management tool is never a good idea. “There’s always a concern when you rely on one single tactic over and over again,” says Julien Beuzelin, an assistant professor of with the Louisiana State University AgCenter. A collaborative research effort between LSU and Texas A&M seeks to answer some of the unknowns associated with this relatively new pest, including the role plant fertility plays, alternate host plant management, economic thresholds, variety or hybrid tolerance, and possible new chemical controls. The project, which kicked off in 2014, is being funded by a three-year U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant. Among the researchers involved are Beuzelin; Dr. Mike Stout, L.D. Newsom Professor of Integrated Pest Management with LSU’s AgCenter; and Dr. Mo Way, an entomology professor with Texas AgriLife Research in Beaumont. Beuzelin also was lead author of an article published in the April Journal of Integrated Pest Management that provided a historical perspective on Mexican rice borer biology and management of the pest to date. As the group of authors from LSU and Texas A&M University researched the article, they noted knowledge gaps and used the information as a basis for the USDA grant proposal.

16 RICE FARMING • MAY 2016

Feeding of early instar of sugarcane borers and Mexican rice borers cause a similar type of injury — orange discoloration of the leaf sheath.

Mexican rice borer on the march Mexican rice borer was first identified in the Texas Rio Grande Valley in 1980, and it has spread throughout Southeast Texas. In 2008, it was confirmed in Calcasieu Parish, La., and has expanded eastward in Louisiana by 10 to 15 miles annually. It is now found in nine Louisiana parishes: Calcasieu, Beauregard, Allen, Cameron, Jefferson Davis, Acadia, Vermilion, St. Landry and Evangeline. The first Florida detection occurred in 2012, and four Florida counties now have confirmed populations. Human intervention, such as transportation of infested plant material, likely hastened the spread. One unknown is how far north this new pest will move. Two RICEFARMING.COM

PHOTOS COURTESY LSU AGCENTER

The Mexican rice borer pupa on the left is dwarfed by the sugarcane borer pupa on the right.

related insects — the sugarcane borer and the rice stalk borer — are sporadic pests of Louisiana rice. Sugarcane borer has been found as far north as North Louisiana and South Arkansas. Beuzelin says he suspects the Mexican rice borer also could survive in South Arkansas, but cold tolerance is an area where he wants to conduct additional studies. After initial establishment, Mexican rice borer populations tend to increase over several years until they begin causing economic damage to rice. Traps baited with female pheromone continue to be used to detect pest expansion. Current management As Mexican rice borer populations have increased, Texas and Louisiana producers have turned to Dermacor X-100 seed treatment, which contains the active ingredient, chlorantraniliprole. Not only does the product help manage stalk borers, but it also controls rice water weevils and fall armyworms. This season, Stout says upwards of 70 percent of growers in Southwest Louisiana used Dermacor seed treatment. The seed treatment also appears to reduce stalk borer infestations in the ratoon crop, possibly by reducing overall pest populations in the main crop, Way says. Growers can obtain similar stalk borer control with two pyrethroid applications typically tankmixed with fungicide applications, he says. But pyrethroids applied at those timings don’t address rice water weevil control. In addition, pyrethroids are broad-spectrum insecticides that could potentially affect non-target species, Beuzelin says. “The big issue is we don’t have good thresholds on when to spray — that’s something we’re working on,” he says. Part of the research also will try to quantify yield reductions caused by Mexican rice borer. Although relying on a single class of chemistry may contribute to resistance, Way says the wide host range (many common grass weeds) of the Mexican rice borer can mitigate the development of insecticide resistance. As a result, only a portion of the overall population is exposed to the insecticide. “It’s everywhere all of the other host plants are,” he says. “Practically every grass you can find in Texas is a host of Mexican rice borer and they act as refuges for them.” Among the grass hosts are johnsongrass, barnyardgrass, Amazon sprangletop and vaseygrass, also known as Paspalum. What has Beuzelin more concerned is the Environmental Protection Agency’s effort to vacate registration for flubendiamide, marketed as Belt. It is in the same class of diamide chemistry as chlorantraniliprole. “I don’t now how closely related they are as far as degredation in the environment,” Beuzelin says. The EPA cites possible toxicity to benthic organisms — microorganisms that live in ocean sediments — as reason for its actions. Flubendiamide’s registrant, Bayer CropScience, says the EPA’s logic is flawed and has requested a hearing before an EPA administrative judge. Cultural control Several cultural practices aid Mexican rice borer management, including early planting, stubble cutting height and what Beuzelin referred to as “landscape-wide management.” Twitter: @RiceFarming

Mexican rice borer life cycle Females typically lay eggs in clusters of fewer than 100 in folds of dry plant material, leaves and leaf sheaths. Once they hatch, larvae make their way to green parts of the plant and start feeding on leaf sheaths. After the second or third molt, they burrow into the rice stem or sugarcane It takes a keen eye to detect Mexican stalk. There, they con- rice borer eggs, which are typically tinue feeding protected laid in the folds of dry plant material, from insecticides until leaves and leaf sheaths. they pupate. After one to three weeks, depending on temperatures, a non-descript light tan month emerges. In South Texas, the pest has four to six overlapping generations per year. Peak moth emergence is between mid-March and early May. Larval feeding during rice vegetative stages can kill the growing point of the tiller, resulting in “deadheart.” A tiller damaged during vegetative stages may remain green before heading, but injury to the vascular tissue can kill the panicle and developing grain, producing “whiteheads.”

A trial conducted in Southeast Texas compared infestations in rice planted in mid-March, mid-April and mid-May. The heaviest Mexican rice borer and sugarcane borer infestations were in the main crop from the later planting dates and in the ratoon crop from the early planting date. That’s because the rice was at the most attractive growth stage when female moths were seeking sites on which to lay eggs. Reducing cutting height of the main crop stubble to 8 inches from 16 inches may reduce infestations by 70 to 81 percent, according to a collaborative Texas A&M and LSU study. By doing so, growers chop stems potentially infested with borers. Way says reducing the cutting height also helps ensure a more uniform and consistent ratoon crop. But some growers are hesitant to adopt the practice because it slows harvest speed, increases wear and tear on combines, and delays second crop maturity, Beuzelin says. In addition, tests Way conducted several years ago examined varietal and hybrid susceptibility. Data showed hybrids exhibit fewer whiteheads (borer-damaged heads) than conventional varieties. With newer varieties and hybrids on the market, Way says he wants to revisit the subject. The researchers also have begun trials to examine the role high nitrogen rates may play in Mexican rice borer damage. Previous research found that nitrogen rates above recommended levels tended to increase rice borer infestations, Beuzelin says. High nitrogen rates also can increase the severity of several rice diseases. In addition, current trials are looking at how silicon soil amendments may toughen culms and leaves. Because of Mexican rice borer’s wide host range, Beuzelin also suspects that eliminating weedy hosts around rice fields and practicing landscape-wide management also could help reduce pest populations. RICE FARMING • MAY 2016

INDUSTRY NEWS Device joins together two pieces of poly tube Credit Moro, Ark., farmer Billy Don Hinkle for coming up with an easy way to connect two pieces of poly tubing together without any tools. The Splice Device, as the invention is called, is being marketed by Delta Plastics of Little Rock, Ark. It consists of a reusable hard plastic inner ring and a larger outer locking ring. The rings are available in 10-, 12-, 15- and 18-inch diameters and feature a metal rod and adjustable latch to tighten and lock the poly tube in place.

controlled laboratory and greenhouse will support year-round bioassay screening of conventional and biological products in Valent’s pipeline. It is expected to open this summer. The Midwest Agricultural Research Center, scheduled to open in December, will become the company’s center of Midwestern row crop research and agronomic training. It will feature dedicated research farmland for commercial-scale testing of new formulations and products under development. It also will feature a training conference center and a seed treatment demonstration lab. A 2,000-square-foot greenhouse will be added in 2017 to support year-round product development.

Want to ID weeds? There’s an app for that

The University of Missouri recently released an update for its free ID Weeds smartphone and tablet app that is more user friendly and includes new graphics. It provides information on more than 430 Valent plans expansion at Leland, Miss., weed species found in field crops, pastures, research facility lawns, gardens and aquatic in Missouri and Walnut Creek, Calif.-based Valent U.S.A. plans to expand its surrounding states. research facility in Leland, Miss., as well as build a new facility ID Weeds lets users narrow down the list near Champaign, Ill. The investments are part of a wide-scale of potential weed species with a series of global research initiative announced in April by parent company illustrations and drop-down boxes for various plant characterSumitomo Chemical of Tokyo. istics. You also can fi nd a weed by searching by its common or Construction at the Midsouth Agricultural Research Censcientifi c name, or select from an alphabetical list of all weeds ter will include theRICE addition more than 8,000 square feet of VVKD0216 FARMINGofFEB AD 022216-RESIZED.pdf 1 2/22/16 10:07 AM contained in the app. new compound characterization facilities. The environmentally James Meng, a programmer for MU Extension Technology and Computer Services, helped Kevin Bradley, MU Extension weed scientist, develop the app. ID Weeds is compatible with iPhones, iPod Touch and iPads running iOS 6.0 or later, and devices running Android 4.0 or later. It is available from the Apple App Store and Google Play. A Web version is available at weedID.missouri.edu.

Upcoming events • May 31-June 2 — Rice Market and Technology Convention, Royal Sonesta Houston Galleria, Houston, Texas. Visit ricemtconvention.com. • June 15 — Acadia Parish Rice and Soybean Field Day, Rice Research Station South Farm, Crowley, La. • June 28-July 1 — Rice Millers Association Convention, The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, Colo. For more information, visit www.usarice.com. • June 28 — 42nd Annual Eagle Lake Rice Field Day, begins at 4 p.m. Wintermann Rice Research Station on Farm-to-Market Road 102 just north of Eagle Lake, Texas • June 29 — LSU AgCenter Annual Rice Field Day, LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station, Crowley, La. • July 14 — 69th Annual Beaumont Rice Field Day, begins at 8 a.m. Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center, 1509 Aggie Dr., Beaumont, Texas • July 19 — Mississippi State University Field Day, Delta Research and Extension Center, Stoneville, Miss. • Aug. 9 — Ribbon cutting ceremony for new Foundation Seed Processing Plant, University of Arkansas Rice Research and Extension Center, Stuttgart, Ark. • Aug. 10 — Annual Arkansas Rice Expo, Grand Prairie Center, Stuttgart, Ark. • Aug. 18 — Missouri Rice Research and Merchandising Council’s Annual Field Day, Missouri Research Farm, Malden, Mo. • Aug. 31 — Annual Rice Field Day, California Rice Experiment Station, Biggs, Calif. • Dec. 7-9 — 2016 USA Rice Outlook Conference, Sheraton Memphis Downtown, Memphis, Tenn.

CMY

18 RICE FARMING • MAY 2016

RICEFARMING.COM

2016 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 the 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 improvement/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 at www.ricefarming.com.

Nominee’s name Nominee’s address Nominee’s phone number 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 involvement/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 involvement/development, innovative practices/projects that have advanced the industry.

Deadline:

June 15, 2016

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

Your address Your phone number Your signature Date

Please send completed form & supporting materials to: Carroll Smith 7201 Eastern Ave., Germantown, TN 38138 Scan/Email: csmith@onegrower.com

On a separate piece of paper, please consider the following: 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. In addition to completing this form, please describe the nominee in terms of the above guidelines. 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 2016 Rice Awards. The award recipients will be honored at the USA Rice Outlook Conference, December 7-9, 2016, in Memphis, where an official presentation will be made at an awards luncheon. They also will be featured in a special salute sponsored by Horizon Ag, USA Rice and Rice Farming magazine in the December 2016 issue.

SPONSORS

Be on the lookout for new planthopper DR. M.O. “MO” WAY TEXAS Rice Research Entomologist moway@aesrg.tamu.edu

With all of the rain we’ve been receiving that is keeping growers out of the fields, I have time to catch you up on research underway to address a potential insect problem on Texas rice in 2016. As you probably know, I’m referring to a planthopper, Tagosodes orizicolus or rice delphacid. This insect is native to Latin America, but we found it in high numbers last fall attacking ratoon rice west of Houston. Damage was severe and widespread. The rice delphacid may not be a problem this year, but we have to be prepared. So we began a monitoring program during the winter and are continuing it throughout this season. Every other week, we travel to Brazoria County where we first found this critter. We sweep the stubble ratoon rice field in several spots as well as an adjacent ryegrass field (ryegrass can also be a host of the planthopper). We also inspect/dissect ratoon stubble for planthopper eggs. Fortunately, we have not found any plant hoppers — nymphs, adults or eggs — so far. We are now sampling recently planted rice fields in this area and continue to sample the ryegrass field. At the David R. Wintermann Rice Research Station at Eagle Lake in Colorado County, we have an experiment evaluating labeled insecticidal seed treatments (CruiserMaxx Rice, Nips-It Inside and Derma-

When mulling costs, don’t cut IPM or consultants SAM ATWELL

MISSOURI Agronomy Specialist atwells@missouri.edu The first two weeks of our 2016 rice planting season in Missouri were the best I’ve witnessed in many years. Research shows that Missouri yields are generally better when our rice is planted between April 10 and April 30. Yields fall significantly when our rice is planted after May 15. Of course, the worry for early planting is bad weather and we would have to start over again. This would be especially bad this year due to farmers facing low rice prices, and they are still looking for places to cut cost. It’s obvious not to cut seed, fertilizer, water, weed, disease or insect control. In other words, it’s probably unwise to cut any input that might reduce yield. Research has shown that controlling weeds early, applying

20 RICE FARMING • MAY 2016

cor X-100) for activity against the planthopper. We also plan to evaluate foliar applications of labeled and non-labeled pesticides we think may have activity against this insect. At the recent 36th Rice Technical Working Group in Galveston, I met with entomologists from Nicaragua who told me of some of the insect’s biology as well as potential effective insecticides. My project has ap- Ratoon rice plant heavily infested with proached faculty at Col- the rice delphacid. lege Station who can help to evaluate planthoppers for the ability to transmit a virus, which causes a rice disease called “hoja blanca.” Finally, we have alerted Dale Scott, coordinator for Pesticide Product Evaluation and Registration with the Texas Department of Agriculture, about this potential rice pest. Scott is responsible for putting together requests for emergency exemptions including Section 18s, Special Local Needs 24(c)s and Crisis Exemptions in case we need help controlling the rice delphacid. I must put in a plug for Scott, who helped the Texas rice industry obtain Section 18s for Tenchu 20SG for rice stink bug control. He also recently helped Texas gain a Section 18 for Transform WG to control the exotic sugarcane aphid attacking grain sorghum. Last but not least, I encourage all you growers, crop consultants and colleagues to be on the lookout for this plant the proper nitrogen rate and timing with precision water management, proper fungicide and insecticide is a good bet for return on your money. Diseases reduce yield and quality and increase production cost, which lower profit. Although disease pressure has been relatively low in Missouri the past few years, we have had isolated sheath blight and blast. Decreasing inputs and new high-yielding varieties may make us more vulnerable, so integrated pest management and consultants are good investments. High-yielding conventional varieties need to be scouted closely for early insects and diseases; then foliar applications can be made in a preventive manner. Hybrids generally have a better disease package, but don’t ignore them. There seems to be more interest in planting row rice or furrow-irrigated rice to cut the cost of ground preparation. Remember, research has shown that cutting water even on furrow rice will likely reduce yields. Those conditions also favor blast, so we recommend scouting weekly for blast, sheath blight, straighthead, bacterial panicle blight, narrow brown spot, leaf spot, stem rot, black sheath rot, kernel smut and false smut. RICEFARMING.COM

GARY BRADSHAW

Specialists Speaking

Specialists Speaking hopper. If you observe it or have suspicions, don’t hesitate to contact me at 409-658-2186 or moway@aesrg.tamu.edu.

Early season decisions affect late-season blast DR. LUIS ESPINO

During the past two years, we have been lucky that we have not seen much blast in California. In August 2014, I conducted a disease survey in the Sacramento Valley and could not find a single field infected with blast. In 2015, pest control advisers told me there were a few infected fields, but I didn’t see any and did not get any calls about blast during the season. The situation was very different in 2010 and 2011, when blast was found in all rice-growing areas, including those where it is typically not a problem, and many growers saw reduced yields. Blast is thought to be a late-season disease; however, many things growers do early in the season can affect blast incidence and severity later on. We’ll start with variety selection. The only variety that has blast resistance is M-208. However, during 2010 and 2011, blast was found in some M-208 fields at very low levels. Scientists suspect that the infections were caused by a new blast race. It’s difficult to know if this new race will become widespread, but so far, it has not. Therefore, M-208 is currently the only variety resistant to the predominant blast race present in California. Varieties M-104 and M-205 are considered less blast tolerant than M-206 and should be avoided if planting in areas where blast is endemic. M-104 acreage has been slowly decreasing and is being replaced by M-105. Unfortunately, there’s not much information on how M-105 reacts to blast since acreage has only become significant since 2014. A new variety available for growers this year is M-209, a high-yielding, early maturing variety developed as an alternative to M-202 and M-205. We do not know how M-209 will react to blast, so growers are advised to scout frequently and treat preventively if blast starts showing up in the valley. The next factor to consider is water. Draining a field for extended periods of time (for example, stand establishment or an herbicide application) increases the susceptibility of plants to blast infection. It is not clear why. I came across a recent scientific paper that showed the plant hormone, abscisic acid, can prevent plants from fighting blast fungus infections and also increases blast spore germination. Abscisic acid is produced in rice roots when plants are stressed, including water stress. This may be why an extended dry-down can increase susceptibility to blast. The last factor to consider is nitrogen. Blast is more severe in Twitter: @RiceFarming

DR. LUIS ESPINO

CALIFORNIA UCCE Rice Farming Systems Adviser laespino@ucanr.edu Typical blast-affected area in nitrogen overlap.

fields with excess N. This is why we typically see more severe blast on the N overlaps in the field headlands. Most growers put out N pre-plant as aqua and then make an ammonium sulfate topdress mid-season. There are two things to be considered. First, University of California research has shown it is more efficient to put all the required N pre-plant, then make a topdress application only after evaluating the need for it at panicle initiation. Second, if you have been incorporating straw for five years or more, your total N rate can be reduced by 20-25 pounds per acre. At this point, we don’t know if 2016 will be a bad blast year. Let’s hope we will have another year with reduced blast incidence.

Target disease with sound crop management DR. JARROD HARDKE

ARKANSAS Asst. Professor/Rice Extension Agronomist University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service jhardke@uaex.edu An added bonus to our early planting progress is that it puts us ahead of our typical disease pressure in most years. Unfortunately, disease pressure is always a moving target and notoriously difficult to predict. However, later plantings generally increase the odds of having disease issues. For the rice already planted, there is a lot to be positive about. In 2015, the small amount of rice planted very early emerged to encounter weeks of cold, wet conditions that led to seedling disease development, severely reducing stands and causing replants. This year there are more fields planted at this point compared to last season. Although they’re encountering wet conditions, the weather is warm— meaning the rice should emerge quickly and outrun seedling diseases. We’ll hope blast disease is a no-show in 2016, but we should plan for it, regardless. The later we plant, the greater the risk for RICE FARMING • MAY 2016

Specialists Speaking blast and the greater the need to rely on cultivars with resistance, such as hybrids. Even for rice planted early, water management and other factors that favor blast can lead to issues managing the disease. Fungicide applications are only useful for prevention of blast; once panicles or necks are infected, the damage is done. The best approach to managing blast with fungicides is to use two applications — the first at late boot to 10 percent heading and the second five to seven days later at 50-70 percent heading. Sheath blight management is achieved by cultivar resistance, proper agronomic practices and fungicide applications. Proper nitrogen rates and seeding rates help reduce the incidence of sheath blight. The sheath blight threshold for fungicide application has multiple factors, including: 1) plant susceptibility to the disease, 2) upper canopy leaves threatened and 3) percent of positive stops in the field. Treat cultivars rated very susceptible to susceptible when 35 percent of stops in the field are positive for sheath blight, cultivars rated moderately susceptible when 50 percent of stops are positive, AND for all situations the upper leaves are threatened. Rice does not benefit from fungicide applications for sheath blight management once the field reaches 50 percent heading. Kernel smut and false smut commonly occur in fields with a history or where excessive nitrogen rates are used. Some cultivar resistance exists; however, many cultivars require applications of preventative fungicides in smut-prone fields. Fungicide applications should be made during boot (before heading). Keep in mind that to achieve the best management of both smuts and blast, the application timings don’t line up. Some attempt to find a middle ground with that application, but it is definitely risky. In general, sound agronomic practices, including adequate flood depth, proper seeding rates and nitrogen rates, help minimize the incidence of disease in rice. For more information on rice disease management in Arkansas, refer to the “MP154 – Arkansas Plant Disease Control Products Guide – 2016” and the “Arkansas Rice Production Handbook.”

Maximize ratoon crop yield with these steps DUSTIN HARRELL

LOUISIANA Extension Rice Specialist dharrell@agcenter.lsu.edu The 2015 Louisiana rice season was unique. Yields in southwest Louisiana were generally lower in the main crop due to excessive rain and constant overcast conditions compared to the proceeding high-yielding years. The 2015 ratoon crop, however, was quite the opposite. In fact, if records of ratoon yields were officially kept, the 2015 ratoon crop would be the highest on record by far. One reason ratoon yields were so great in 2015 was the weather decided to

22 RICE FARMING • MAY 2016

finally cooperate. The rains stopped, the sun came out and rice harvest went off without a hitch. Although we cannot control the weather, there are some things we can do to maximize our ratoon crop potential. First and foremost is have a plan. Make a plan from the beginning of the season of which fields to ratoon. Unfortunately, many farmers like to have a “wait and see” attitude when it comes to ratooning. They like to wait and see how the ratoon regrowth is coming back before they decide to ratoon a particular field. This adds additional time and stress to producers during their busiest time of the year — harvest. Make it easy on yourself and decide to ratoon particular fields from the get-go. Choose the best-producing fields, go with early maturing rice varieties or hybrids with a record of good ratoon potential, and plant those cultivars before April 15. Harvest time is critical to maximizing ratoon potential. Harvesting before Aug. 15 will, in most years, ensure you will have enough time for the ratoon crop to mature before the season’s first frost. Harvesting the first crop should be done at the optimum grain moisture between 18 and 22 percent. This timing will not only improve harvest efficiency and grain quality of the first crop, but it also will leave behind a greener and healthier ratoon stubble. Through observation, we have seen that ratoon regrowth tends to be slower and produces a thinner stand with fewer tillers per square foot when the main crop rice is harvested at lower grain moistures. Research this year at the Rice Research Station will focus on quantifying ratoon yield losses when harvesting at less-than-optimum main crop grain moistures. Keeping field rutting to a minimum during the main crop harvest is another key to maximizing ratoon regrowth. Stubble management is the biggest contributor to increasing ratoon crop potential. In most years, stubble management practices alone can increase ratoon yields by 5 barrels. They include post-harvest mowing (flail or bush-hogging) to approximately 8 inches (or lower) and post-harvest rolling of the stubble. These practices force the regrowth to come from the crown node or the first node above the crown. Research has shown that panicles originating from the crown node are typically bigger, have more grains per panicle and have more filled grains per panicle compared to panicles from nodes higher on the stubble. Another advantage of stubble management is it evens out grain maturity of the ratoon crop. The only disadvantage is it will delay ratoon crop maturity by about two weeks. The optimum nitrogen (N) rate for the ratoon crop, in most years, across all rice varieties and hybrids is 90 pounds of N per acre or approximately 200 pounds of urea. The N should be applied immediately after harvest and a shallow flood established immediately afterward. If soil test results show medium, low or very low soil test categories for phosphorus (P) or potassium (K), an additional 30 pounds of P (as P2O5) or K (as K 2O) above the main crop recommendation will be needed to maximize ratoon yield potential. This additional P and K can be applied in the first crop or after the first crop harvest along with the N fertilizer. RICEFARMING.COM

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