Feature

• By Vicky Boyd, Editor • After the discovery of rice delphacid in an El Campo, Texas, greenhouse last winter and a possible sighting recently in Victoria County, a Texas A&M AgriLife Research entomologist has cautioned growers and consultants to be on the lookout for the pest. “My gut feeling is that they’re here to stay,” said Dr. Mo Way, ... Read More »

• By Vicky Boyd, Editor • Normally in mid-July, Steve Linscombe would be mailing out brochures that promote the upcoming Rice Leadership Development Program and that seek rice industry applicants. But like so many events and programs this year, the leadership program has been disrupted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, says Linscombe, who heads the Rice Foundation, which oversees the ... Read More »

• By Vicky Boyd, Editor • Since acquiring Bayer’s rice breeding program in 2015, Nutrien Ag Solutions has mostly flown under the radar developing new rice cultivars for the U.S. market. That will change in 2021 with the launch of DGL-263X, a high-yielding, high-quality, long-grain inbred variety in final development and the first commercial rice cultivar under the DynaGro brand, ... Read More »

Despite coronavirus restrictions, rice breeding programs continue albeit with a few changes. • By Vicky Boyd, Editor • In mid-March, University of Arkansas rice breeder Xueyan Sha decided only a few days before his scheduled trip to the university’s Puerto Rican winter nursery to cancel it because of the coronavirus outbreak. Although the move meant he wouldn’t be able to ... Read More »

2 non-native stink bugs prompt questions about treatment thresholds, spray timings in Florida rice. • By Vicky Boyd, Editor • Since it was first confirmed about 13 years ago, an exotic rice stink bug from the Caribbean and Central and South America has increased in abundance and is now the most common stink bug in Florida rice fields. What the ... Read More »

• By Ching Lee • Ideal planting conditions should have allowed rice farmers throughout the Sacramento Valley plenty of time to prepare and seed their fields this spring, But short supplies of a liquid fertilizer have slowed their progress, leaving some of them scrambling to make last-minute adjustments. Most rice farmers use aqua-ammonia, a key source of nitrogen for their ... Read More »

Furrow-irrigated rice has been gaining ground, increasing from less than 1% to 10% of total rice acreage in Arkansas in the past five years. The “Arkansas Furrow-Irrigated Rice Handbook” provides research-based information about selecting cultivars, establishing stands, and managing fertility, weeds, disease, insects and irrigation. It also provides information about budgeting and crop insurance, which became available for furrow-irrigated rice ... Read More »

• By Bruce Schultz • Rice prices have rebounded, and the Louisiana 2020 crop is off to a good start. Louisiana State University AgCenter economist Michael Deliberto said there are several reasons why the economic outlook for rice is positive. “There is no doubt that supplies are tight and demand has been good. These are the highest U.S. prices in ... Read More »

Like people, some plants handle stress better than others. Now, in a recent issue of Agronomy, a team of Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and university scientists report their identification of U.S. rice varieties with the right “genetic” stuff for coping with reduced water use. Their efforts dovetail with a trend toward water-saving measures that some growers are implementing in not ... Read More »

Texas wheat and rice producers could see opportunities as food grains show steadiness amid calamity for other commodities, said a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economist. Dr. Mark Welch, AgriLife Extension economist, College Station, said food grains have avoided much of the “complete wreck” market disruptions have made of commodities like corn, cotton, beef and crude oil. As dairy operators ... Read More »