Rice Farming

During the 2001 season, DeWitt, Ark., seed producer John Alter set an all-time personal seeding rate record. Using a relatively new John Deere 1520 standard planter with hydraulic down pressure, Alter planted about 17 pounds per acre of a newly released Arkansas variety.

Although he admits he sweated bullets for the first few weeks while the meager number of seeds germinated, the plants eventually tillered and filled in, producing a respectable yield of 171.5 bushels dry per acre.

Danbury, Texas, seed producer Jacko Garrett routinely skirts the 10-pound-per-acre seeding rate with his Monosem precision vacuum vegetable seed planter. In fact, during the 2001 season, he went as low as 8.7 pounds of seed per acre on one field and averaged 9.9 pounds of seed per acre across his entire 1,000 acres of seed production of one particular variety.

While Texas A&M associate professor Garry McCauley isn’t advocating that commercial growers reduce planting rates as low as seed producers, he does believe many growers are overplanting.

Target 15-20 plants per square foot
Based on the results of five years of study conducted on Garrett’s farm, McCauley says growers on heavy clay soils should be able to reduce seeding rates to 60 pounds per acre without reducing yield. In some cases, the lower seeding rate may actually enhance yield.

“Every year of the last five years, 40 to 60 pounds produced optimum yields on clay soils,” McCauley says.
The same may not hold true on some of the lighter soils. During the 2001 season, McCauley expanded his trials to also include plots on the Gertsons’ farm near East Bernard, which has lighter soil. Although still preliminary, the results suggest growers probably would need to increase the seeding rate by about 20 pounds per acre.

Because he only has one year of data on the sandy soils, McCauley says he hopes to conduct additional trials on the Gertsons’ farm as well as at three to four other sites with different soils to refine his theories. He also wants to look at whether tillage systems may affect seeding rates. Both the Gertsons and Garrett use a no-till or fall stale seedbed system, and McCauley says he’s unsure whether preparing the seedbed in the spring right before planting would affect seedling survival and seeding rates.

Regardless of the seeding rate, McCauley says he feels confident recommending growers shoot for 15 to 20 plants per square foot. “If you get to that point, you are going to have optimum yield,” he says.

Success on heavy soils
At Garrett’s farm, McCauley’s studies also looked at row spacings of 7.5 inches and 10 inches. In all of the trials, the 7.5-inch spacing yielded as well or better than the 10-inch spacing.

The reason for the success of the lower seeding rates is the rice plant’s resiliency. Rice plants under a crowded situation won’t tiller as much, and each tiller has fewer grains in the panicle.

By using a lower seeding rate that provides a little more space, each plant tends to tiller more and each panicle typically has more grains.

“If you plant at 120 pounds, about 80 percent of the plants will have one tiller apiece,” says Garrett, citing McCauley’s research. “If you have a 10-pound seeding rate, there will be 10 to 20 tillers per plant, so they just compensate.

“With the 120-pound rate, you may have 60 to 70 grains per panicle. At 10 pounds per acre, you may have 150 to 250 grains per panicle. If we can get 40 to 50 panicles per square foot, regardless of the number of mother plants, you have maximized the yield potential per square foot.”

Take care to ensure seedling survival
But the data, which applies to heavy soils, come with a few caveats.

McCauley’s trials show yields begin to tail off when seeding rates are reduced below 40 pounds per acre. By using a fungicidal seed treatment and the 60 pound-per-acre recommendation, growers with clay soils can be fairly confident they’ll have about 90 percent seed survival.

“The key to low seeding rates is you have to have a seed treatment on it,” Garrett says. “When you have the seed treatment on it, you can predict very well what type of seed survival you’ll have.”

On all the seed that Garrett sells, he applies Apron XL and Maxim, fungicides to fight soil-borne diseases, as well as zinc, a necessary micronutrient. At the customer’s request, he’ll also apply Icon for rice water weevil control and Release, a product to enhance seedling vigor.

If you typically plant 100 to 125 pounds of untreated seed per acre, 60 percent to 80 percent of those seeds don’t emerge or die before making a stand, according to McCauley’s studies.

Garrett also is a strong advocate of the fall stale seedbed system because it provides a firmer footing for the planter during the spring than a freshly prepared field. The result is more uniform seed placement and planting depth.

Under the fall stale seedbed system, you prepare the field in the fall. Because of the mild Texas winters, an application of Roundup and 2,4-D may be necessary in early January to prevent excessive vegetative growth.

Shortly before planting, burn down the vegetation with a broad-spectrum herbicide, such as glyphosate. McCauley estimates that 30 percent to 40 percent of Texas rice producers have adopted the system.
And key to reduced planting rates is having a good planter that is calibrated correctly.

Contact Vicky Boyd at (209) 571-0414 or vlboyd@att.net.

How low can you go? Study shows you can reduce seeding rates and actually boost yields, cut costs on some soils
By Vicky Boyd Editor
During the 2001 season, DeWitt, Ark., seed producer John Alter set an all-time personal seeding rate record. Using a relatively new John Deere 1520 standard planter with hydraulic down pressure, Alter planted about 17 pounds per acre of a newly released Arkansas variety. Although he admits he sweated bullets for the first few weeks while the meager number of seeds germinated, the plants eventually tillered and filled in, producing a respectable yield of 171.5 bushels dry per acre. Danbury, Texas, seed producer Jacko Garrett routinely skirts the 10-pound-per-acre seeding rate with his Monosem precision vacuum vegetable seed planter. In fact, during the 2001 season, he went as low as 8.7 pounds of seed per acre on one field and averaged 9.9 pounds of seed per acre across his entire 1,000 acres of seed production of one particular variety. While Texas A&M associate professor Garry McCauley isn’t advocating that commercial growers reduce planting rates as low as seed producers, he does believe many growers are overplanting. Target 15-20 plants per square foot Based on the results of five years of study conducted on Garrett’s farm, McCauley says growers on heavy clay soils should be able to reduce seeding rates to 60 pounds per acre without reducing yield. In some cases, the lower seeding rate may actually enhance yield. “Every year of the last five years, 40 to 60 pounds produced optimum yields on clay soils,” McCauley says. The same may not hold true on some of the lighter soils. During the 2001 season, McCauley expanded his trials to also include plots on the Gertsons’ farm near East Bernard, which has lighter soil. Although still preliminary, the results suggest growers probably would need to increase the seeding rate by about 20 pounds per acre. Because he only has one year of data on the sandy soils, McCauley says he hopes to conduct additional trials on the Gertsons’ farm as well as at three to four other sites with different soils to refine his theories. He also wants to look at whether tillage systems may affect seeding rates. Both the Gertsons and Garrett use a no-till or fall stale seedbed system, and McCauley says he’s unsure whether preparing the seedbed in the spring right before planting would affect seedling survival and seeding rates. Regardless of the seeding rate, McCauley says he feels confident recommending growers shoot for 15 to 20 plants per square foot. “If you get to that point, you are going to have optimum yield,” he says. Success on heavy soils At Garrett’s farm, McCauley’s studies also looked at row spacings of 7.5 inches and 10 inches. In all of the trials, the 7.5-inch spacing yielded as well or better than the 10-inch spacing. The reason for the success of the lower seeding rates is the rice plant’s resiliency. Rice plants under a crowded situation won’t tiller as much, and each tiller has fewer grains in the panicle. By using a lower seeding rate that provides a little more space, each plant tends to tiller more and each panicle typically has more grains. “If you plant at 120 pounds, about 80 percent of the plants will have one tiller apiece,” says Garrett, citing McCauley’s research. “If you have a 10-pound seeding rate, there will be 10 to 20 tillers per plant, so they just compensate. “With the 120-pound rate, you may have 60 to 70 grains per panicle. At 10 pounds per acre, you may have 150 to 250 grains per panicle. If we can get 40 to 50 panicles per square foot, regardless of the number of mother plants, you have maximized the yield potential per square foot.” Take care to ensure seedling survival But the data, which applies to heavy soils, come with a few caveats. McCauley’s trials show yields begin to tail off when seeding rates are reduced below 40 pounds per acre. By using a fungicidal seed treatment and the 60 pound-per-acre recommendation, growers with clay soils can be fairly confident they’ll have about 90 percent seed survival. “The key to low seeding rates is you have to have a seed treatment on it,” Garrett says. “When you have the seed treatment on it, you can predict very well what type of seed survival you’ll have.” On all the seed that Garrett sells, he applies Apron XL and Maxim, fungicides to fight soil-borne diseases, as well as zinc, a necessary micronutrient. At the customer’s request, he’ll also apply Icon for rice water weevil control and Release, a product to enhance seedling vigor. If you typically plant 100 to 125 pounds of untreated seed per acre, 60 percent to 80 percent of those seeds don’t emerge or die before making a stand, according to McCauley’s studies. Garrett also is a strong advocate of the fall stale seedbed system because it provides a firmer footing for the planter during the spring than a freshly prepared field. The result is more uniform seed placement and planting depth. Under the fall stale seedbed system, you prepare the field in the fall. Because of the mild Texas winters, an application of Roundup and 2,4-D may be necessary in early January to prevent excessive vegetative growth. Shortly before planting, burn down the vegetation with a broad-spectrum herbicide, such as glyphosate. McCauley estimates that 30 percent to 40 percent of Texas rice producers have adopted the system. And key to reduced planting rates is having a good planter that is calibrated correctly. Contact Vicky Boyd at (209) 571-0414 or vlboyd@att.net.
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