Specialists Speaking

Arkansas appears headed toward a further increase in furrow-irrigated rice acres in 2019. This production practice is finding a substantial rotational fit for growers to save on land management costs, primarily associated with expenses related to tillage. Ultimately, there are some important management considerations that go with this unique and evolving production practice compared to our traditional delayed-flood rice management. ... Read More »

The hot, dry conditions of 2018 were the poster child for difficulty establishing a timely flood to incorporate nitrogen (N) fertilizer. To achieve consistently high yields, timely application and incorporation of preflood N is the most critical input in rice. Luck always helps, of course. The DD50 Rice Management Program (http://DD50.uaex.edu) is critical for timing preflood N. Originally developed to ... Read More »

Early season disease management is becoming increasingly important as Texas rice farmers trend toward planting earlier at lower seeding rates (about 50 percent of Texas rice acreage is planted to hybrids). Clearly, the earlier plantings have a better chance of producing both high-yielding main and ratoon crops. But planting earlier means exposing seed to lower temperatures and possibly wetter soil, ... Read More »

Researchers fine-tuned N, seeding recommendations for Provisia rice during 2018 season. The 2018 season was the first year the Provisia variety, PVL01, was grown commercially. Louisiana grew approximately 10,000 acres of PVL01, and the average yield was about 42-43 barrels per acre statewide (6,804-6,966 pounds per acre; 151-155 bushels per acre). Many growers were satisfied with the Provisia system, and ... Read More »

Vicky asked me to talk about weed management, so I asked Dr. Muthukumar Bagavathiannan to help me. Muthu is our rice weed scientist located at College Station, but he makes many forays into the Texas Rice Belt during the growing season. Of utmost importance is proper weed identification, which demands frequent and careful scouting. Last year, I was called out ... Read More »

We have been fortunate to see new products on the market for rice over the past few years. These products have put more tools in the toolbox for us to use to manage our rice crop. In 2018, we saw three new herbicides (Loyant, Gambit and Provisia), one new herbicide premix (RiceOne), one fungicide (AmistarTop) and of course, the new ... Read More »

Record grain yields were last achieved in Louisiana during the 2014 growing season when we were blessed with very favorable weather conditions. Until 2018, each crop since 2014 had been successively lower yielding than the year before. Louisiana saw constant rainfall and cloudy conditions nearly the entire rice growth period in 2015. In 2016, record flooding occurred when more than ... Read More »

Here in Texas, we’re off to a cold, rather wet spring, which creates a challenge for stand establishment. I hope the weather warms soon. This month, I want to talk about mid-season insect pest control for Texas rice farmers. If you did not treat your seed with an insecticide to control rice water weevil, I suggest you apply a labeled ... Read More »

Nitrogen is one of the largest expenses in a rice production budget. Efficient use of fertilizer N not only helps maximize grain yield, but it also helps lower fertilization rates, lower fertilizer expenses and minimize negative effects on the environment. There are a handful of questions that I get asked annually regarding N fertilization, and I thought I would take ... Read More »

Due to a long dry fall, Missouri growers have leveled and prepared their fields and are ready to plant. Recent rains have saturated our soils, so early seeding has been delayed, which is OK because we still have time to plant our estimated 200,000 acres. Early insects and diseases reduce yield and quality and increase production cost, which lowers profit. ... Read More »