Horizon Ag has launched CLM04, a new Clearfield medium-grain that will be commercially available to growers for the 2020 planting season.
Developed by Dr. Xueyan Sha at the University of Arkansas Rice Research and Extension Center, CLM04 has shown tremendous yield potential and stability, improved blast tolerance compared to Jupiter, and milled grain characteristics similar to those found in Jupiter and Titan, according to a news release. Its parentage includes Bengal, Neptune and Jupiter.
During the past 10 years, growers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri and Texas have planted an average of 250,000 acres of medium grain annually.
Arkansas and Louisiana comprised most of the medium grain acres at 78% and 18%, respectively. The leading medium grain for years, Jupiter, is known for its excellent grain quality.
Clearfield medium-grain rice has been commercially available since 2010. In traditional medium grain areas in Arkansas, the Clearfield technology has been used minimally and is still very effective against red rice and grass, according to the release.
Most of Horizon Ag’s CLM04 seed production in 2019 was in the Jonesboro, Arkansas, area, and it performed very well across large acreages.
For example, when Nick Thompson, a rice farmer near Jonesboro, was asked about his experience growing CLM04 in 2019, he said, “CLM04 was grown in conjunction with Jupiter and Titan on our farm this year. Not only was CLM04 the cleanest from a weed control standpoint, but it also out-yielded the other two varieties by a minimum of 5 bushels per acre.”
Some seed was also produced near Crowley, Louisiana. As challenging of a year as it was across all varieties and hybrids in that state, CLM04 performed the best of all Horizon Ag seed production fields.
CLM04 at a glance
• First Clearfield medium-grain variety released by the University of Arkansas.
• Yield potential similar to Jupiter.
• Very good grain quality.
• Improved blast resistance compared to Jupiter.
• Height: 42 inches.