With rice harvest gaining speed in many areas and the crop making rapid progress in others, reports are coming in across the South regarding the strong performance of promising new Horizon Ag Clearfield and Provisia varieties.
Farmers are already starting to call to book seed for 2021, said Dr. Tim Walker, Horizon Ag general manager. And the new Clearfield varieties, CLL17 and CLL16, are garnering considerable attention due to their significantly higher yield potential and outstanding grain quality. They join CLL15 and CLM04, two Clearfield varieties that were first available in 2020, as leading Clearfield contenders for planting next season.
In addition, PVL02, the latest Provisia rice variety released, is proving its value in 2020, providing higher yield potential and milling quality than PVL01, the first Provisia variety. It also allows farmers to effectively control red rice, weedy rice and ALS-resistant grasses that had been hindering profitability.
“The Provisia system is being used more and more in a rotational system with Clearfield varieties and soybeans to bring fields back into profitable rice production,” Walker said. “It’s a technology that, when correctly stewarded, is proving to be a valuable tool, and PVL02 is showing to be a steady performer in the system.”
Farmers looking ahead to the 2021 season can expect the following from Horizon Ag:
CLL17: A new early-season, semi-dwarf, long-grain Clearfield rice, CLL17 is from the breeding program of Dr. Adam Famoso at the LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station. Over years of testing, it has shown strong yield potential, excellent milling yield and very good grain quality. It also has two blast-resistant genes: Pi-ta and Pi-ks. Famoso, speaking at the recent online field day in Crowley, Louisiana, said CLL17 had yield potential 5% to 8% higher than CL153.
“We expect CLL17 will replace CL153 because of its superior yield potential and consistency,” Walker said. “For that reason, we’re planning to have a seed supply ready to meet what we expect to be a high demand.”
CLL16: A new high-yielding, long-grain Clearfield rice variety developed by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, CLL16 has shown excellent rough rice yields, averaging 205 bushels per acre in university tests. That is slightly better than Diamond. CLL16 also has industry-leading blast tolerance.
Walker noted that the new variety has “a milled product that continues to bring back the gold standard rice the Southern USA has historically produced. Based on its performance and potential, we expect CLL16 to be a great addition to our Clearfield variety lineup and get a lot of attention, particularly with is Arkansas heritage.”
CLL15: One of Horizon Ag’s most popular varieties in 2020, CLL15 is an Arkansas-bred, semi-dwarf long-grain variety with average yields about 5 to 10 bushels higher than varietal industry standards like CL151 and CL153. It also has excellent milling characteristics, good grain length and low chalk, along with broad-spectrum blast resistance and very good standability.
“In 2020, CLL15 has continued to stand out, with farmers telling us they are expecting big things from this variety based on how it has looked all year,” Walker said. “That’s no surprise because CLL15 has consistently been a top performer, challenging hybrid yield potential without the hybrid seed cost. Based on that, it should be on a lot of acres in 2021.”
CLM04: Developed at the Arkansas Rice Research and Extension Center, medium-grain CLM04 was first planted commercially in 2020 and has shown tremendous yield potential and stability. It has improved blast tolerance compared to Jupiter and milled grain characteristics similar to those found in Jupiter and Titan.
“For farmers considering a medium grain rice, CLM04 combines the benefits of a Clearfield variety with the quality and performance potential they need to consistently maximize ROI,” Walker said.
PVL02: PVL02 was available in limited supplies for planting this season and represents a step up in yield potential, agronomic characteristics and tolerance to Provisia herbicide over PVL01. It is about seven days earlier, which should bode well for ratoon crop potential. It has clarity and low chalk comparable to PVL01 and improved milling yields. Another advantage is that PVL02 is not quite as susceptible to blast.
“We saw a significant jump in demand for Provisia rice varieties this year, particularly for PVL02,” he said. “Across the region, farmers are saying Provisia fields are their cleanest fields and that PVL02 will get strong consideration on a lot of acreage in 2021.”
More information about these and other Horizon Ag varieties is available at http://www.horizonseed.com/horizon/content/news/SeedVarietiesFor2020.
Horizon Ag contributed this article.