The Arkansas Rice Expo is taking a hiatus this year, with the annual event in Stuttgart returning to its field-tour format.
The Arkansas Rice Field Day at the Rice Research and Extension Center in Stuttgart is planned for Aug. 3. It features a pair of two-hour field tours that will cover the spectrum of production issues including breeding, irrigation, weed, disease and pest management, and fertility.
The tours will depart from the Foundation Seed Facility on the grounds of the research and extension center in Stuttgart. The first field tour leaves at 7:30 a.m., the second at 9:30 a.m. There is no cost to attend.
With harvest so close at hand, one of the most timely discussions will be about cover crops, says Jarrod Hardke, extension rice agronomist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
“We’ll be talking about cover crops and where they’ll fit into rice production or rice rotation,” Hardke said. “We’re about to start harvest and soon after is when we’ll need to put in cover crops.”
Ehsan Shakiba, an assistant professor and rice breeder with the Division of Agriculture, will discuss hybrid rice breeding, and Manuel Esguerra will join him to talk about high nighttime temperatures and the effects on grain yield and quality.
Extension Entomologist Nick Bateman and doctoral student Aaron Cato will highlight their work on cutoff timing for rice stink bugs, Hardke said.
Trent Roberts, associate professor and expert in soil and rice fertility, will give a talk on GreenSeeker and proper use of the handheld.
There will be a brief indoor program at 11:30 a.m., before lunch begins.
Here’s the full schedule:
• Tour 1:
Stop 1 – Agronomy & Soil Fertility
Dr. Trent Roberts – Associate Professor, Soil Fertility
Dr. Jarrod Hardke – Extension Rice Agronomist
Stop 2 – Rice Weed Management
Dr. Jason Norsworthy – Professor, Weed Science
Stop 3 – Irrigation Management
Dr. Chris Henry – Irrigation Engineer
Return to Foundation Seed Center (9:30 or 11:30 a.m.)
• Tour 2:
Stop 1 – Entomology
Dr. Nick Bateman – Extension Entomologist
Mr. Aaron Cato – Graduate Assistant, Entomology
Stop 2 – Rice Pathology
Dr. Yeshi Wamishe – Extension Rice Pathologist
Stop 3 – Hybrid Breeding & High Nighttime Temperatures
Dr. Ehsan Shakiba – Asst. Professor, Breeding
Dr. Manuel Esguerra – Post-Doc, Breeding
Stop 4 – Observation Bay
Dr. Karen Moldenhauer – Professor, Breeding
Dr. Xueyan Sha – Professor, Breeding
Return to Foundation Seed Center (9:30 or 11:30 a.m.)
The Rice Research and Extension Center is located at 2900 Arkansas Highway 130 East in Stuttgart.