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 »
The 2020 versions of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture publications on managing insects, weeds and plant diseases are now available online, through Cooperative Extension Service offices across the state, and, in one case, as a mobile-friendly website. MP44, “Recommended Chemicals for Weed and Brush Control”; MP144, “Insecticide Recommendations for Arkansas”; and MP154, the “Arkansas Plant Disease Control ... Read More »
Severe defoliation in rice from a large flight of fall armyworms in 2016 led researchers with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture to develop a new defoliation threshold, said Nick Bateman, assistant professor and crop entomologist. It is common to see fall armyworms, a defoliating caterpillar pest, in pastures and fields, he said. Defoliation is the removal of ... Read More »
The one silver lining for the 2019 rice season in Louisiana was that we had a dry September, and many growers were able to work the ground and prepare for the 2020 season. It was a way to close the door on the 2019 season, which, for many, was a season they would like to forget. Rice yields in Louisiana ... Read More »
When relentless spring rains pushed the planting window wide open, entomologists predicted problems for Arkansas row-crops. That has certainly proven true for the state’s late-planted cotton, soybeans and rice, said Gus Lorenz, Extension entomologist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. Rice Lorenz said stink bug numbers are “incredible” in 2019. “And they just keep coming,” he said. ... Read More »
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