• By Bruce Schultz • Scientists at the Louisiana State University AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station detailed their work in an online field day presentation July 1. Mike Salassi, LSU AgCenter vice president for plant and animal science, said the virtual field day was necessary as a safeguard against the coronavirus pandemic. Salassi said rice adds $1 billion ... Read More »
2 non-native stink bugs prompt questions about treatment thresholds, spray timings in Florida rice. • By Vicky Boyd, Editor • Since it was first confirmed about 13 years ago, an exotic rice stink bug from the Caribbean and Central and South America has increased in abundance and is now the most common stink bug in Florida rice fields. What the ... Read More »
Arkansas revisits rice stink bug thresholds, finding they still balance grain damage with grower profitability. • By Vicky Boyd, Editor • As two southern rice-producing states changed their rice stink bug thresholds, reducing the number that would trigger treatment, University of Arkansas entomologists decided they should revisit their recommendations. After conducting numerous trials — ranging from caged feeding studies to ... Read More »
Epidemic levels of kernel smut and false smut were prevalent in the 2019 Louisiana rice crop. While smuts have always been a common problem in northeast Louisiana and the Mississippi Delta rice-growing regions, smuts were never really a concern in southwest Louisiana. Over the past five years, sightings of smut in southwest Louisiana rice fields have increased a little bit ... Read More »
RTWG Awards Luncheon recognizes peers for exemplary work. Every two years, rice researchers from around the United States and even the globe get together for the Rice Technical Working Group. This year, the two-day event was hosted by Mississippi State University and held recently in Orange Beach, Alabama. During the awards luncheon, researchers recognize peers who have made outstanding contributions ... Read More »
Research finds rice can take more armyworm defoliation than previously thought without yield loss. • By Vicky Boyd, Editor • After two years of field and greenhouse studies, University of Arkansas entomologists say they feel confident about recommending against treating most fall armyworm infestations in rice. But they say they want one more year of data before they update the ... Read More »
Begin scouting early to catch the pest before it can cause significant yield loss. • By Vicky Boyd, Editor • For three out of the past five years, growers and consultants have found the rice planthopper in scattered fields of second-crop rice south and west of Houston, Texas. Dr. Mo Way, Texas A&M AgriLife Research entomologist, has told growers and ... Read More »
There are several nutrients we should pay close attention to when it comes to rice production. Along with nitrogen, the most important nutrients to monitor include phosphorus, potassium, sulfur and zinc. When I make farm visits to evaluate nutrient problems, the culprit is generally one of these five. Visual observation of nutrient deficiency symptoms is one tool used to diagnose ... Read More »
Bucket traps aid University of Arkansas research into new row-rice pest, control measures. • By Vicky Boyd, Editor • University of Arkansas entomologists continue their quest to learn more about the rice levee billbug, a weevil pest that until recently only caused occasional issues for levee rice. With the increasing popularity of row rice — also called furrow-irrigated rice — ... Read More »
• By Bruce Schultz • Farmers at the recent Northeast Louisiana Rice Forum heard about the benefits and challenges of growing row rice. The practice uses irrigation with collapsible poly tubing or rainwater to keep soil moist, but no permanent flood is maintained. Levees are not required, so farmers can wait until planting to make crop decisions. Mike Salassi, Louisiana ... Read More »
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