For the 2024 season, farmers will have access to two new, elite Horizon Ag varieties that have proven their potential for superior performance in multi-year, multi-location testing in the region.
CLL19, a semi-dwarf Clearfield® line from the Louisiana State University AgCenter rice breeding program, and PVL04, the first Provisia® rice variety from the University of Arkansas breeding program, will join other proven, popular offerings from Horizon Ag like CLL18, CLL16 and PVL03.
About CLL19
New CLL19 represents a significant step up over Horizon Ag CLL17 in terms of higher yield potential and stalk strength and offers excellent blast resistance and milling quality.
Dr. Adam Famoso, LSU AgCenter rice breeder, said the excitement being shown regarding CLL19 coming to market is warranted, based on its consistently strong performance in testing over the past five seasons.
“It’s shown to be a really high yielding line that is very, very stable,” said Dr. Famoso, speaking to farmers at Horizon Ag’s Louisiana Field Day last summer. “Its yields are right up there with CLL16 and CLL18, and it has very good milling potential. CLL19 is also early, with a maturity more like CL111, but with much higher yield potential. It will fit well in a ratoon crop system.”
Zack Tanner, who farms near Bernie, Missouri and who produces seed for Horizon Ag said that CLL19 was planted side-by-side with CLL18, an extremely high-yielding variety, and looked strong all season long.
“My impression of CLL19 is positive,” says Tanner. “We planted a 45 pounds per acre of seeding rate and had very good emergence and good early season vigor. We didn’t have any issues with sheath blight and saw
zero blast in CLL19. It is a shorter variety, which we like, and it was easy to harvest.”
Initial reports showed CLL19 yielding 212 bushels per acre on the farm, compared to 224 bushels per acre with CLL18.
About PVL04
New PVL04, from the breeders at the University of Arkansas, provides farmers even more choices when using the Provisia Rice System to manage resistant weedy rice, red rice and grasses.
When PVL03 was launched two years ago it proved to be a game changer, in terms of performance potential. As a result, PVL03 was the top planted variety in Louisiana in 2023, and saw acreage gains throughout the region
PVL04 has shown to be comparable to PVL03 in the Coastal Region while offering slightly improved yields over PVL03 in the Upper Delta. It also has proven to be an excellent package quality rice.
PVL04 contains the Pi-ks and Pi-ta blast resistance genes that helps farmers minimize the threat of disease impact and earned a reputation in testing for its very good straw strength. It typically matures about two days later than PVL03.
CLL18
Farmers will also have more access to CLL18 this season, which sold out in a limited launch in 2023 and continues to impress as it out-yielded other varieties in multi-state tests in recent years. It is a conventional statured rice with excellent straw strength and good tolerance to sheath blight. It is moderately susceptible to rice blast.
“CLL18 has the potential to yield with the most popular hybrids at a much lower price point for seed,” says Dr. Walker. “We are hearing from a lot of farmers who want to plant it in 2024 and see the impact on their bottom line.”
Tanner said that in 2022 he used a “very low seeding rate” for CLL18 and still made a very good yield of 192 dry bushels per acre. Using a normal seeding rate this year, his CLL18 yields topped the 220 bushel per acre mark.
“Generally speaking, depending on the seeding rate, CLL18 seed cost would be approximately a third of what a hybrid would cost,” he says. “If we’re shooting for and achieving around 9,000 pounds or a 200-plus bushels per acre yield, that’s good economics, good value.”
Dr. Walker said CLL18 is a good fit in most areas of the southern rice production region, even in the Coastal Region if farmers want to make one very high-yielding crop per season rather than ratooning.
Always read and follow label directions. Clearfield® and Provisia® are registered trademarks of BASF. All other trademarks are the properties of their respective owners. ©2024 Horizon Ag, LLC. All Rights Reserved.