Rice Farming January 2022

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ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC

PROFITABLE PRODUCTION STRATEGIES

JANUARY 2022

LSU releases 2 long-grain varieties

More crop per drop Dyna-Gro’s new DG263L long grain impresses growers

Novel tailwater return system maximizes water use

IN RICE, IT’S ALL ABOUT ROTATION, ROTATION, ROTATION.

OPTIMAL 3-YEAR ROTATION OPTIONAL 4TH YEAR CONVENTIONAL RICE

Boost yield potential with the right field rotation.* The three-year rotation of the Provisia® Rice System, the Clearfield® Production System for rice, and herbicide-tolerant soybeans gives you the best chance of keeping weed-resistance under control—while growing more rice over multiple seasons. That means more flexibility, more control and more sustainable rice-planting years on more acres. Get your rotation in order and get cleaner fields that drive yields.

Contact your BASF rep or Authorized Retailer for more information.

* When compared to fields not treated with a herbicide Always read and follow label directions. Clearfield and Provisia are registered trademarks of BASF. © 2022 BASF Corporation. All rights reserved.

March January2018 2022

COLUMNS

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Vol. 52, 56, No. 4 2

COVER STORY

4 From the Editor

Rice's long history Supply-chain issuesbucks upend holiday,hot 'what's 2022 in season food' trends planning

5 Guest USA Rice Update 6 Column

A new year and a new normal Rice and sustainability

D P A RRice T M Update ENTS 8 EUSA Rice industry sets priorities 18 Industry News for the next Farm Bill Rice business scene

More crop Here to stay? per drop

D P A R T M ESpeaking NTS 20ESpecialists A range of choices

19 Industry News Rice business scene

ON THE COVER: University of Arkansas waterSpecialist management engineer Chris 20 Speaking Henry (left) and Stuttgart, Arkansas, Early herbicide can rice producer Stephenmistakes Hoskyn stand plague you all season long atop the lid of a continuous-flow tailwater return system.

Photo by Vicky Boyd ON THE COVER: Armyworms once again plagued California rice growers in 2017.

Photo by Luis Espino, University of California Cooperative Extension

The Californiacontinuous-flow rice industry prepares for return what may become annual armyworm Economical tailwater system helps maximize water-use infestations. efficiency in row rice.

F E AT U R E S 9 6

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grain andaid a high-amylose Floods expansion long grain for

Sign e-newsletter Sign up up for for the the monthly monthly e-newsletter at to have have exclusive exclusive atricefarming.com ricefarming.com to industry news and content delivered industry news and content delivered directly inbox. directly to to your your inbox.

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GET CONNECTED

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Stay up-to-date with the latest from Rice Farming.

TWITTER: @RICEFARMING

market, but increased 2018 planting projections cloud long-term outlook.

Two additions

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Follow us on Twitter: @RiceFarming

The andContest yang entrants cut UCCEyin Yield Shorterrecord suppliesfields have shorn up the some

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LSU releases an early, high-yielding long

parboiling and snail export markets.the Giant invasive threatens rice-crawfish rotation in southwest Louisiana.

Bring it on!

PVL03 steps up with improved yield potential and disease package along with New tools in the tool box solid grass control.

Several new crop-protection products are available in time for this year’s rice Living season. up to the billing New DG263L Dyna-Gro long grain impresses with strong yields and milling.

The smell of success

University of Arkansas breeding

A win isreleases still a win, with an program new even jasmine-type long grain. asterisk

Arkansas growers close in on new yield record, but fall weather impacted milling Far m & Gin Show recap yields.

Tight world rice supplies mean any disruption could push markets higher.

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From The

Editor

Supply-chain issues upend holiday, 2022 season planning Every year before Christmas, I go to a local grocery store to buy my sister a pocket-sized stuffed hamster dressed in holiday finery, such as reindeer antlers or a Santa Claus hat. (It’s a sister thing, plus we had pet hamsters growing up.) I’d snatch up a stuffed hamster when I saw it because they sold like wildfire.

This year when I made my annual trek, there were no hamsters. In their place was a box full of pocket-sized stuffed mice. I suspect a supplychain issue was behind the substitution since the hamsters were made in China. Needless to say, the mice did not sell well, and nearly a full box still sat on the grocery store shelf a few days Vicky Boyd before Christmas.

Editor Based on conversations with a few growers and ag chem retailers I know, they’re encountering their own versions of my hamster experience.

Hearing that glyphosate was going to be in short supply, a grower in October told me he had begun scrounging up enough to meet his 2022 needs. Even though the price was significantly higher than in 2020, he saw it as an investment that was only likely to climb.

Extension specialists have already begun recommending growers consider alternate crop protection materials should supplies of their go-to products be limited or nonexistent.

An ag chem retailer I talked to in December said he was having a tough time planning for the upcoming season. Prices for glyphosate had gone up four times since spring 2021, and that was if he could even get the herbicide. Some suppliers told him they would be allocating crop protection products based on his last three years of orders.

Manufacturers blamed the shortage on supply-chain issues that disrupted their ability to source technical product, frequently produced in China, used to formulate crop protection materials.

The same ag chem retailer said another supplier told him he’d likely receive a full order of a popular burn-down herbicide, but much of the product would be delivered after the historic use period.

All of these unknowns point to a need for flexibility and having a back-up plan.

As one grower told me, if ever there was a year for having a plan B, it would be 2022.

Let’s hope the plans offer better substitutes than the unsold box of stuffed mice were for holiday hamsters.

Vicky Send comments to: Editor, Rice Farming Magazine, 875 W. Poplar Ave., Suite 23, Box 305, Collierville, TN 38017 or email vlboyd@onegrower.com.

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RiceFaRming EDITORIAL/PRODUCTION Editor Vicky Boyd 209-505-3612 vlboyd@onegrower.com Copy Editor Amanda Huber ahuber@onegrower.com Art Director Ashley Kumpe akumpe@onegrower.com

ADMINISTRATION Publisher/Vice President Lia Guthrie 901-497-3689 lguthrie@onegrower.com Associate Publisher/Editor-In-Chief Carroll Smith 901-326-4443 csmith@onegrower.com Associate Publisher/Sales Scott Emerson 386-462-1532 semerson@onegrower.com Production Manager David Boyd dboyd@onegrower.com Audience Services Kate Thomas 847-559-7514 For subscription changes or change of address, call 847-559-7578 or email ricefarming@omeda.com

ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC Mike Lamensdorf President/Treasurer Lia Guthrie Publisher/Vice President ASSOCIATED PUBLICATIONS — One Grower Publishing LLC also publishes COTTON FARMING, THE PEANUT GROWER, SOYBEAN SOUTH and CORN SOUTH magazines.

RICE FARMING (ISSN 0194-0929) is published monthly January through May, and December, by One Grower Publishing LLC, 875 W. Poplar Ave., Suite 23, Box 305, Collierville, TN 38017. Periodicals postage paid at Memphis, Tennesee, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to OMEDA COMMUNICATIONS, CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT, P.O. BOX 1388, NORTHBROOK, IL 60065-1388. Annual subscriptions are $25.00.

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© Copyright 2022

One Grower Publishing, LLC 875 W. Poplar Ave., Suite 23, Box 305 Collierville, TN 38017

RICEFARMING.COM

USA Rice

Update

A new year and a new normal

H

By Betsy Ward

VICKY BOYD

President and CEO USA Rice

appy New Year! I hope the holiday season was rewarding and fulfilling. Considering last year’s many challenges and achievements, I think we all certainly earned it. I spent much of the past few weeks reflecting on the year that was and what lies ahead.

We all spent more time than we wanted in 2021 staring into computer screens at tiny boxes filled with industry friends and colleagues (and family, too). But I did get to travel to rice country several times and so appreciated gathering in person with many of you.

And we got to cap off the year with business meetings and the USA Rice Outlook Conference in person in New Orleans.

Almost 600 rice industry folks from across the country and around the world gathered in The Big Easy to work, learn, share their expertise and, of course, to laissez le bon temps rouler!

From left: Jonesboro, Arkansas, rice producer Wayne Wiggins, his wife, Nonie Wiggins, and USA Rice CEO Betsy Ward chat during the USA Rice Outlook Conference’s Opening Reception.

The value of being together While the number is low for what we usually experience in New Orleans, participation was much higher than we could have anticipated when we started planning the conference only two months prior.

It goes to show that nothing can stop the U.S. rice industry when we set our minds to something, and it shows how much we value TWITTER: @RICEFARMING

I’m honored to represent this industry that has so kindly and enthusiastically taken me in, and I’m happy to do it in person! I hope to really see you in 2022. the experience of being together.

I sat around tables with members, guests, presenters and sponsors. I walked the exhibit hall that was packed and bubbling with energy. Speaking of packed, the annual Awards Luncheon was standing room only — which was great to see.

If we have learned anything these past two years, it is that each region, state and, in some cases, city has different COVID-19 restrictions in place. These can change quickly and are sometimes difficult to navigate.

Living in the Washington, D.C., area, for example, we note that many of our federal agency partners have not returned to their offices and are still facing travel restrictions.

We were able to accommodate those folks and other members who could not attend, and I was glad they were able to participate while also seeing the vast majority of people in the same room.

A blend of old and new As we move into 2022, it’s my sincere hope that we can blend these approaches — the old way of face-to-face meetings with the new means of digital meetings that technology affords us. Both are valuable, both are effective and both are necessary.

As I write this, I’m looking ahead to in-person meetings with customers in Mexico in January and the United Kingdom in March. In between, USA Rice staff will be in California, Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana, to name a few spots.

After that, we have events in Chicago and Missouri. My team and I are looking forward to them all.

As always, I’m honored to represent this industry that has so kindly and enthusiastically taken me in, and I’m happy to do it in person! I hope to really see you in 2022.

JANUARY 2022

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UCCE Yield Contest entrants cut some record fields

By Bruce Linquist

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021 was generally a good season for California rice production. A dry spring lead to earlier-than-normal planting.

And a dry fall allowed harvest to proceed without interruption until late October when historic rainfall resulted in the remaining 5% of unharvested rice being a challenge to cut.

This led contestants in the University of California Cooperative Extension Yield Contest to cut some very high entries, ranging from 108.3 to 137.3 cwt/ac (241 to 305 bu/ac). Milling yields varied widely this year and depended a lot on harvest timing relative to the two periods of strong, warm north winds during the fall.

Due to regional yield potential differences, the Sacramento Valley was divided into regions (1-NE, 2-NW, 3-S) using the Sacramento River and Highway 20 as dividing lines. All fields south of Highway 20 are a single region.

The 2021 winners were Hafeez Rehman, Region 1; Jack Sheppard, Region 2; and Gordon Wylie, Region 3.

Hafeez Rehman | Region 1 Rehman’s field was in Glenn County and yielded 113.2 cwt/ac. The field had been in rice the previous year, and straw was incorporated and flooded over the winter. Rehman planted M-210 (a blast-resistant variety) at a rate of 175 lb/ac on May 13. He applied a total of 193 lb N/ Hafeez ac (135 as aqua, 32 as 16-20-0 and 26 as a topRehman dress of ammonium sulfate).

His herbicide program was Butte followed by Regiment. He also applied lambda-cy insecticide a week after planting and Quadris fungicide at early heading. His field was harvested Oct. 5, and his head and totals were 65/72.

Jack Sheppard | Region 2 Sheppard farms in Butte County, and his field yielded 135.8 cwt/ac. This is a record for this region. The highest prior to this was achieved last year by Eric Sligar with 127.9 cwt/ac with M-211.

Sheppard’s field had been in rice the previous Jack year, and straw was incorporated and flooded Sheppard over the winter. He dry-seeded M-211 at a rate of 150 lb/ac, and his first flush was completed April 20.

Sheppard applied 223 lb N/ac (120 aqua, 35 as 8-10-8 and 68 in two top-dress N applications). The higher-than-normal N rate was due to anticipated N losses when aqua is used for dry-seeding. His herbicide program was Prowl followed by Regiment and Superwham.

Sheppard applied Quadris fungicide 85 days after planting. His field was harvested on Sept. 22 with grain moisture of 19.7%. His milling yield was 63/73.

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JANUARY 2022

Gordon Wylie | Region 3 Wylie farms in Colusa County, and his field yielded 137.3 cwt/ac. This is the highest yield we have ever recorded in our contest. The previous record, by Sean Dougherty from the same region, was 135 cwt/ac with M-209. Wylie’s field was fallowed the previous year.

Gordon It was planted to M-211 on April 20 at a seedWylie ing rate of 142 lb/ac. The total N rate was 149 lb/ac (117 as aqua, 32 as 16-20-0 starter). The herbicide program was Butte followed by propanil. Mustang insecticide was applied early and Quadris fungicide at boot-split. The field was harvested on Sept. 24.

Learnings from the contest In 2015, University of California Cooperative Extension began the UCCE Rice Yield Contest. Harvest and weighing are closely monitored by UCCE personnel. Yields are determined from a minimum of 3 acres from a 10-acre test plot and reported at 14% moisture.

In the seven years we have held the contest, we have learned a number of things. First, high yields are possible from a number of commercial medium-grain varieties. Winners have included M-105, M-205, M-206, M-209, M-211 and M-401.

However, since M-211 has come on the scene, it has become a game-changer and has been shown in our variety trial to have higher yield potential in areas where it is adapted.

Second, yield potential varies from year to year (with 2017 and 2019 being low and 2021 being high). They also vary throughout the valley, and that’s the reason farmers compete with growers in their own region.

Third, even at high yields, the head rice and milling yields remain good. Fourth, to achieve these high yields, fertilizer N rates were typical for California and generally range from 150 to 200 lb N/ac for the winners.

Fifth, good, uniform stand establishment stand out as being important. In the contest, the highest yields typically have more than 70 tillers per ft² at harvest. Finally, high yields can be achieved with a range of herbicide programs.

Good turnout for these contests are in part due to a prize that we offer. This year, it was a John Deere side-by-side. The winner from each region will draw for the prize at the upcoming winter grower meetings in January. We were able to have the prize due to the generous support of our UCCE Yield Contest sponsors. In 2021, they were Corteva, FMC, Gowan, Nichino, UPL, Valent, Valley Truck and Tractor, and Wilbur-Ellis.

Dr. Bruce Linquist is University of California Cooperative Extension rice specialist.

RICEFARMING.COM

Horizon Ag Has Strong Variety Offering for 2022 Horizon Ag Has Strong Variety Offering for 2022 — that have consistently shown high yield potential in trials and seed production plots joining an already strong lineup proven performers like CLL16 and CLL17.

Horizon Ag has twoof new varieties — PVL03 and CLHA02 Horizon Ag Has Strong Variety Offering for 2022 Horizon Ag Has Offering for 2022 on the rise for the coming season, it’s time for rice farmersStrong New CLHA02,Variety the second high-amylose Clearfield variety, was developed

Horizon Ag has two new varieties — PVL03 and CLHA02 ave consistently shown high yield potential in trials and seed production plots ning an already strongHorizon lineupAg ofhas proven performers CLL16 and CLL17. two new varieties —like PVL03 and CLHA02

— that have consistently shown high yield potential in trials and seed production plots

der seed costs proven performance when calculating by rice breeders at Mississippi State University and is and another stepdeveloped to joining an already strong of proven performers like CLL16 CLL17.

Horizon Ag has two new varieties —PVL03 PVL03 and CLHA02 Ag has two new varieties — and CLHA02 Withand input prices on the rise for theHorizon coming season, it’s time forlineup rice farmers New CLHA02, the second high-amylose Clearfield variety, was — that have consistently shown high yield intrials trials seed production plots — that have consistently shownwhen high yield potential in and seed vide an opportunity for better profitability. bringing backpotential theby quality standard theand U.S. riceproduction industry wasisplots known tostep to to carefully consider seed costs and proven performance calculating rice breeders at Mississippi State University and another joining an already strong lineup of proven performers like CLL16 and CLL17. joining an already strong lineup of proven performers like CLL16 and CLL17. inputprovide on rise for theforcoming it’s provide time for rice Newhas CLHA02, second Clearfield variety, developed whatWith varieties an the opportunity better season, profitability. bringing back the the quality standard U.S.years. rice industry was was known to forfarmers decades, yet waned over thehigh-amylose lastthe10-15 PVL03 is prices the third and highest-yielding

to carefully consider seed costs andisproven performance when calculatingprovide by for ricedecades, breedersyetathas Mississippi State and is another step to waned over theUniversity last 10-15 years.

PVL03 the season, third andtime highest-yielding released foran the Provisia® Rice will betterthe opportunities forstandard premiums, which isindustry especially Withvarieties input prices the riseopportunity for the coming riceprovide farmers farmers New second high-amylose Clearfield variety, was developed Withvariety input prices onprovide theonrise for the coming season, it’sit’s time Itforfor rice farmers New CLHA02, CLHA02, the second high-amylose Clearfield variety, was developed what for better profitability. bringing back the quality the U.S. rice was known to variety released for the Provisia® Rice It will provide farmers better opportunities for premiums, which is especially to carefully consider seed costs and proven performance when calculating by rice breeders at Mississippi State University and is another step tostep to System.

It has proven yield potential important heading into a year where input costs have increased dramatically. to carefully consider seed costs and proven performance calculating by rice breeders at Mississippi and 10-15 is another provide for decades, yet where hasState wanedUniversity over the years.

PVL03 ishastheproven third when and System.

It better yieldhighest-yielding potential bringing important heading into a standard year costsindustry havelast increased dramatically. what varieties provide an opportunity for profitability. back the quality theinput U.S. rice was known to whatrivaling varietiesthat provide opportunity for betterreleased profitability. bringing back the farmers quality standard the U.S. rice industrycontracts was known to of an other top-performing rice top-performing alsoProvisia® is expected toalso generate interest in waned more Identity Preservation variety forItthe Riceprovide Itiswill provide better opportunities foryears. premiums, which is especially rivaling that of other rice It expected to generate interest in more Identity Preservation contracts for decades, yet has over the last 10-15 PVL03 is the third and highest-yielding provide for decades, yet has waned over the last 10-15 years. lines. Louisiana trials inlines.

2019 with domestic and global customers, who arewhere specific their and PVL03 is and the third highest-yielding System.

It2020 hasand yield potential heading into a year input haveneeds dramatically.

Louisiana trials inthe 2019 and 2020 domestic and global customers, whopremiums, areincosts specific inisincreased their needs and variety released forproven Provisia® Rice Itwith will important provide farmers better opportunities for which especially variety released forproven the demands Provisia® Rice It willItprovide farmers opportunities premiums, which is especially rivaling of other top-performing riceimportant alsoheading expected to generate interest inhave more Identitydramatically.

Preservation contracts showed PVL03 yieldingshowed almost 8,500 for rice.

PVL03 almost 8,500 demands foris rice.

System.

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It has proven yield potential important heading into a year where input costs have increased dramatically. lines.

Louisiana trials in 2019 and 2020 with domestic and global customers, who are specific in their needs pounds per outyielding Cheniere rivaling thatacre, of other top-performing rice It also is expected to generate interestCLL16: in moreFrom Identityoutstanding Preservation yield contracts pounds per acre, outyielding Cheniere potential and CLL16: From outstanding yield potential rivaling that ofitPVL03 other top-performing rice8,500with It alsodomestic is expected generate interest more Identity Preservation contracts showed yielding almost demands forto rice. and putting on par with top-yielding lines.

Louisiana trials in 2019 and 2020 and global customers, whoinrivals are specific in their needs at and and putting it on par with top-yielding that or exceed hybrids a lower that rivals or exceed hybrids at a lower lines.

Louisiana trials in 2019 and 2020 with domestic and global customers, who are specific in their needs and showed PVL03 yielding almost 8,500 poundsvarieties. per acre, outyielding Chenieredemands for rice.

Clearfield® outstanding potential seed CLL16: cost toFrom excellent millingyield quality Clearfield® varieties. showed poundsPVL03 per acre, Cheniere yielding 8,500 demands for rice. seed costCLL16: to excellent milling quality onoutyielding paralmost with top-yielding yield potential that rivals or exceed hybridsdisease at a lower It repeated that strong performance inand 2021putting in seeditproduction plots.

“We andFrom anoutstanding industry-leading and putting it on par with top-yielding pounds per acre, outyielding Cheniere Clearfield® varieties. that rivals or exceed hybrids at a lower trong performance in 2021 in seed production plots.

“We and an industry-leading disease CLL16:seed From outstanding potential cost excellent milling quality planted 200 acres of it this year,” Clearfield® says Rayne, Louisiana, farmer Fred package, CLL16 istoearning ayield reputation as varieties. and putting it on par with top-yielding seed cost to excellent milling quality that rivals or exceed hybrids at a lower s of it thisZaunbrecher. year,” It repeated says“Seed Rayne, thatquantity strong Louisiana, performance farmer in 2021 Fred in seed plots. package, CLL16 isand earning anPackage aindustry-leading reputation asSouth. disease was limited, and Horizon Ag production wanted to put as “We the Complete across the It repeated that strong performance in 2021 in seed production plots. “We andseed an cost industry-leading diseasequality Clearfield® varieties. to excellent milling planted 200 acres of it this year,” says Rayne, Louisiana, farmer Fred package, CLL16 is earning a reputation as many acres out as possible with fewer pounds, so for us, the seeding rate And it’s proving its performance ed quantity was limited, andacres Horizon to Rayne, put asLouisiana, farmer Fred the Complete Package acrossa reputation the South. planted 200 of it Ag thiswanted year,” says package, CLL16 is earning as Itended repeated that strong performance in 2021 in seed production plots.

“We and an industry-leading disease Zaunbrecher.

“Seed quantity was limited, Ag wanted to put as the Complete Package across up being 23-24 pounds perwas acre.

That’sandand notHorizon aHorizon lot of outtothere, in itsbothacross furrow and the floodSouth. s possible with fewer pounds, so for us, the seeding rate And it’sthe potential proving performance Zaunbrecher.

“Seed quantity limited, Ag seed wanted put as Complete Package the South. planted 200 acres of it this year,” says Rayne, Louisiana, farmer Fred package, CLL16 is earning a reputation as many acres out as possible with fewer pounds, so for us, the seeding rate And it’s proving its performance but the variety still looked exceptionally good.

We had yields in the midirrigated systems. many out not as possible withseed fewerout pounds, so for us, the seeding rate Andin it’s proving its and performance 3-24 poundsZaunbrecher. perended acre.upacres That’s a lot of there, potential both furrow flood “Seed quantity was and Horizon Ag to put asthere, the Complete Package the South. being 23-24 pounds peracre. acre.

That’s lot ofbarrels seed out potential infurrow bothacross and flood 40 barrels perup acre range onelimited, field that actually per ended being 23-24and pounds per That’s notnot amade lota wanted of 50 seed out there, potential in both andfurrow flood “When we’re looking for a good candidate for furrow-irrigated varieties, ill looked exceptionally good.

We had yields in the midirrigated systems. many acres out as possible with fewer pounds, so for us, the seeding rate And it’s proving its performance but the variety still looked exceptionally good.

We had yields in the midirrigated systems. acre. Webutwere very pleased that.” the variety still looked exceptionally good. We had yields in the mid- we’re looking for early vigor and irrigated systems. and this variety has both,” blast tolerance, e range andended one4040 field that actually made 50field barrels per up being 23-24 pounds per acre.

That’s not a lot made of “When seed out there, potential in both furrow and flood barrels per acre range and one field that actually made 50 barrels per barrels per acre range and one that actually 50 barrels per for a looking gooda looking candidate varieties, “When we’re forMissouri a for goodfurrow-irrigated candidate for furrow-irrigated “When we’re for a good candidate forseed furrow-irrigated varieties, PVL03 has excellent stalk strength, is a superior package quality we’re milled looking says Zack Tanner, Southeast rice producer.

“But it also hasvarieties, to but the variety still looked exceptionally good.

We had yields in the midirrigated systems. acre.

We were very pleased with that.” acre.

We were very pleased with that.” y pleased with that.” looking forand earlyblast andvigor blastvery tolerance, and this variety hasboth,” both,” looking forvigor early and blastfor tolerance, andhas this varietyfields.” has both,” rice, and has an industry-leading disease package, withwe’re resistance to for we’re yield well, and CLL16 has yielded well usvariety in furrow-irrigated looking earlywe’re vigor tolerance, and this 40 barrels per acre range stalk and one field that actually made 50quality barrels permilledsays PVL03 has excellent strength, is a superior package milled Zack Tanner, a Southeast Missouri rice seed producer.

“But it also has to “When we’re looking for a good candidate for furrow-irrigated varieties, PVL03 has excellent stalk strength, is a superior package quality says Zack Tanner, a Southeast Missouri rice seed producer.

“But it also threats like and Cercospora. ent stalk strength, is blast a very superior package quality milled saysresistance Zack Tanner, a Southeast Missouri riceCLL16 seedfurrow-irrigated producer.

“Butriceit also to at 219has to This past and season, Tanner’s madehas right acre. rice, Werice,were pleased with that.” and has an industry-leading disease package, with to yield well, CLL16 has yielded very well for us in furrow-irrigated fields.” looking forand early vigor blast very tolerance, andusthis variety has both,” and hascomes an industry-leading disease package, with resistance towe’re yield well, CLL16 hasand yielded well for in furrow-irrigated fields.”

That performance with the of the Ricewell, System bushels per acre, along with making 230 bushels per acrefields.” in his paddy industry-leading disease package, withadvantages resistance to Provisia yield and CLL16 has yielded very well for us inrice furrow-irrigated threats like blast and Cercospora.

PVL03threats has excellent stalk strength, is a superior package quality milled says Zack Tanner, a Southeast Missouri seed producer.

“But it also has to This past season, Tanner’s CLL16 furrow-irrigated rice made right at 219 blast and Cercospora.

This past and Provisia like herbicide, which have earned a reputation for providing the rice fields . season, Tanner’s CLL16 furrow-irrigated rice made right at 219 and Cercospora.

Thathas performance comes with thedisease advantages of the with Provisia Rice System perand acre, along making bushels per acreright in his at paddy rice, That and an industry-leading package, resistance to bushels yield well, CLL16 haswith yielded very230well for230 usmade in furrow-irrigated This past season, Tanner’s CLL16 furrow-irrigated rice 219infields.” performance comes with the overcome advantages of theweedy Provisia Riceand System bushels acre, along bushels per acre his topaddy cleanestandfields while helping farmers hybrid rice CLL17, an .eliteper Clearfield varietywith bredmaking in Louisiana, has proven its ability Provisia herbicide, which have earned a reputation for providing the rice fields threats like blast and Cercospora. comes withresistant theandadvantages of the which Provisia System bushels per acre,This along with per acre in his past fields season, Tanner’s230 CLL16bushels furrow-irrigated rice madepaddy right at 219 Provisia herbicide, haveRice earned a reputation for providing .making grass problems. cleanest fields while helping farmers overcome hybrid weedy rice and theCLL17, makerice high yields, consistently outperforming CL153 in multi-year It an elite Clearfield variety bred in Louisiana, has proven its ability totrials.

That performance comes with the advantages of the Provisia Rice System bushels per acre, along with making 230 bushels per acre in his paddy cleanest fields while helping farmers overcome hybrid weedy rice and icide, which haveresistant earnedgrass a reputation rice fields . problems. for providing the CLL17, an elite Clearfield variety bred in Louisiana, has proven ability to also has ratoon crop potential and provides excellent milling make highsolid yields, consistently outperforming CL153 in multi-year trials.

It itsyield Provisia herbicide, which earned a reputation providing rice fields . high yields, resistant grass problems.

“There is overcome no technology likehave Provisia available,” says Dr.forTim Walker, the also hile helpingandfarmers hybrid weedy rice and make consistently outperforming CL153 in multi-year and very good grain quality. has solid ratoonbred crop in potential and provides excellentitsmilling CLL17, an elite variety Louisiana, has proven abilityyieldto trials. It cleanest fields while helping farmers overcome hybrid weedy rice and Clearfield Horizon Ag general manager. seed companies are “There is no technology like“Other Provisia available,” says Dr. Timplaying Walker, CLL17, angood elite Clearfield variety bred in Louisiana, has proven its ability to also has grain solid ratoon crop potential and provides excellent milling and very quality. oblems. resistant grass problems. three years of outperforming university testing, CLL17 averaged 6% higher yields than yield high yields,Inmake consistently CL153 in multi-year trials.

Ittrials.

Horizon Ag general manager.

“Other seed companies are playing “There no technology like Provisia available,” saysmake Dr. Tim Walker, catch-up andismaking unsubstantiated claims about performance, but high yields, consistently outperforming CL153 in multi-year It and very good grain quality.

InCL153. threeAnd yearsinof59university testing, CLL17theaveraged 6% higher yieldsbeginning than trials throughout Mid-South Rice Belt in catch-up makinghas unsubstantiated claims about but Horizon AgandSystem general manager. seed companies playing also are has solid ratoon crop potential and provides excellent milling yield the Provisia Rice already “Other proven to be an performance, effective weed also has solid ratoon crop potential and CLL17 provides excellent milling yield than CL153. invariety 59years trialsaveraged Mid-South Belt in yields three ofthroughout university testing, averaged 6% 2015, InAnd the 7,841the pounds perRice acre forbeginning thehigher main crop, the Provisia System has Tim already proven tosays be effective chnology like Provisia available,” says Dr. Walker, “There is no technology likeunsubstantiated Provisia available,” Tim Walker, catch-up andRice making claims about performance, but grain management tool.

Provisia herbicide doesn’t require aanDr.safener, soweed it’sgood and very quality. and very good grain quality.

2015, the variety averaged 7,841 pounds per acre for the main crop, CL153.toAnd 59 trials the Mid-South Belt beginning 7,155inpounds forthroughout CL111, 7,330 pounds for CL153 Rice and 6,653 pounds in tool.

Provisia herbicide doesn’t require safener, so it’sweed compared Horizon Ag general manager.

“Other seed companies are playing the Provisia Rice System already proven to seen beaan eneral manager.going “Other seed companies tomanagement be more effective.

Besthas ofare all, playing farmers have it effective work.” compared tothe 7,155ofvariety pounds for CL111, 7,3307,841 pounds for CL153 and 6,653 pounds In three years university testing, CLL17 averaged 6% higher yields than crop, going to be more effective.

Best of all, farmers have seen it work.”

2015, averaged pounds per acre for the for Cheniere, according to LSUaveraged AgCenter data.

Ina three years university testing, CLL17 6% higher yields than main catch-up and making unsubstantiated claims performance, but management tool.

Provisia herbicide doesn’t safener, so it’s offor Cheniere, according to LSU AgCenter data. making unsubstantiated claims about performance, butaboutrequire And in 59to trials throughout the 7,330 Mid-South Belt beginning in 7,155 the pounds for CL111, for CL153 andin6,653 pounds Provisia Systemeffective. effective CL153.

And trialscompared throughout Mid-South Ricepounds BeltRice beginning going toRice be more Best proven of all, farmers seen itweed work.”in 59 CL153. ce System has the already proven to behas an already effective weedto be anhave 2015, the variety averaged 7,841 pounds per acre for the main crop, for Cheniere, according to LSU AgCenter data. management tool.

Provisia herbicide doesn’t require safener, sothe it’s variety More information about Horizon AgAgaelite Clearfield and Provisia varieties isavailable available at HorizonSeed.com 2015, averaged 7,841 ispounds per7,330 acre for the main crop, More information about Horizon elite Clearfield andcompared Provisia varieties HorizonSeed.com ool. Provisia herbicide doesn’t require a safener, so it’s 7,155 pounds for CL111, at pounds for CL153 and 6,653 pounds going to be more effective. Best of all, farmers have seencompared it work.” to 7,155 pounds to foraccording CL111, 7,330 pounds for data.

CL153 and 6,653 pounds for Cheniere, to LSU AgCenter ore effective. Best of all, farmers have seen it work.”

More information about Horizon Agforelite Clearfield and Provisia varietiesdata. is available at HorizonSeed.com Cheniere, according to LSU AgCenter

More information about Horizon Ag elite Clearfield and Provisia varieties is available at HorizonSeed.com

information about Horizon Ag elite Clearfield and Provisia varieties is available at HorizonSeed.com Clearfield® and Provisia® are registered trademarks of BASF. ©2022 Horizon Ag, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Clearfield® and Provisia® are registered trademarks of BASF. ©2022 Horizon Ag, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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JANUARY 2022

Clearfield® and Provisia® are registered trademarks of BASF. ©2022 Horizon Ag, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Clearfield® and Provisia® are registered trademarks of BASF. ©2022 Horizon Ag, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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Two additions LSU releases an early, high-yielding long grain and a high-amylose long grain for parboiling and export markets.

By Vicky Boyd Editor

T

he Louisiana State University AgCenter has released two conventional rice varieties — a high-yielding, early long grain and a high-amylose long grain for export, processing and parboiling markets.

They will be in seed production this year and are expected to be commercially available for the 2023 season. Varietal names are pending, and both are from the breeding program of Dr. Adam Famoso.

LA19-2212 LA19-2212 is a cross between two experimental lines, with parentage that includes the LSU AgCenter variety Cocodrie and the University of Arkansas variety LaGrue.

The new AgCenter variety does not contain the Pi-ta blast-resistance gene, but it does have the Cercospora-resistance gene, CRSP2.1, Famoso said.

In four years of trials, he said researchers never saw narrow brown leaf spot — symptoms caused by Cercospora — on the new variety. But they did observe Cercospora on the stems this year.

“We don’t know what the Cercospora on the stem means in terms of yield impact, but it is resistant to it on the leaf and it does have that resistance gene,” he said.

LA19-2212 doesn’t appear very susceptible to many of the other rice diseases, including blast, based on their trials.

“It’s not considered resistant to blast, but it doesn’t seem to crash,” Famoso said. “We don’t spray fungicides on our trials.

Whether it’s planted early or late, it never really has crashed.”

In multiple locations over four years, LA19-2212 has shown significantly better yields than Cheniere and has been competitive with the Clearfield varieties.

“It’s one we think is very well positioned to take over a lot of those acres that people are growing conventional long grain on,” Famoso said. “It’s shown very good performance over the four years in comparison to Cheniere. We’ve had this line in multi-location tests since 2018, and every year it has consistently outperformed Cheniere.”

In fact, LA19-2212 averaged about 5% better yields over four years than Cheniere, the most widely grown conventional long grain in Louisiana.

Milling yields are comparable to many other long-grain varieties from the LSU AgCenter breeding program. But they are slightly lower than Cheniere, which is a top miller, Famoso said.

LA19-2212’s kernel length is about 7 millimeters — the sweet spot for most millers and buyers.

One of the most exciting characteristics of the new variety is its earliness, Famoso said. It heads out a solid week or more earlier

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than Cheniere and about three days earlier than CL111, the earliest variety on the market.

“So that’s major, especially with all of the interest with ratoon,” he said. “We often get feedback from growers that they want something early so there’s less time in the field and less time for something to go wrong. Being that much earlier — five to seven days earlier — allows them to plant it first, and it’s something they can get out of the field and into the bins first.”

In the small-plot trials, the new variety appears to have good ratoon potential. But Famoso said he should have a better idea of its second-crop potential once it is planted on larger acreages.

LA20-2126 LA20-2126 is a high-amylose conventional long-grain variety bred for parboiling, processing and the export market. Amylose, a type of rice starch, affects the stickiness of cooked rice – the higher the amylose, the drier the rice cooks. Kernels from high-amylose varieties also separate after cooking.

Compare that to medium-grain rice, including Calrose-types, and short-grain varieties that have significantly lower amylose levels — the kernels stick together when cooked.

Conventional Southern long-grain varieties average between 20% to 24% amylose. LA20-2126 has amylose levels of about 26%, Famoso said.

“It’s higher than CL153, CLL17 or Cypress,” he said.

Samples sent to Mars and Ben’s Select, which produce parboiled rice, have been well received. When he first started breeding the line, Famoso said the goal was to develop a high-amylose variety with blast resistance for parboiling. At the time, he didn’t have the Latin American export market in mind.

Since then, many Latin American buyers have become disenchanted with U.S. rice quality and have begun to source crop from other countries.

Through a rice quality program supported by USA Rice and the Rice Foundation, the industry has begun taking a closer look at quality criteria to try to understand buyers’ needs and breed U.S. varieties for them.

LSU AgCenter rice breeder Adam Famoso talks about varieties in the pipeline during the 2021 Rice Field Day at the H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Center in Crowley, Louisiana. The variety at the left is LA19-2212, an early conventional long grain with significantly better yields than Cheniere. It was released for seed production this year and is expected to be commercially available for the 2023 season.

RICEFARMING.COM

Latin American customers has been very, very favorable on the appearance of the grain,” Famoso said.

In addition, the new variety has the Pi-ta gene for blast resistance and the Cercospora gene. Because the new high-amylose variety has a slightly lower yield potential than some of the other conventional long grains, Famoso said he envisions growers identity preserving it. That way they can command a premium from buyers seeking the grain and cooking quality traits.

VICKY BOYD

The Rice Quality Symposium II, held during the recent USA Rice Outlook Conference in New Orleans, is part of that effort. Select buyers were invited to meet with U.S. rice breeders and sample their various releases.

Famoso participated in the symposium, showcasing LA202126 and a few other lines. And he received very positive comments about the high-amylose line.

LA20-2126 also has the desirable 7 mm kernel length and low chalk. “The feedback we’ve received from some of the

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JANUARY 2022

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Bring it on!

PVL03 steps up with improved yield potential and disease package along with solid grass control.

By Vicky Boyd Editor

R

Evolution of Provisia varieties Dr. Tim Walker, Horizon Ag general manager, said the evolution of Provisia varieties is following a similar path to early Clearfield development. The first few Clearfield varieties definitely lacked the agronomic characteristics of today’s Clearfield lines.

“PVL03 is right up there with some of the Clearfield varieties and much, much better than PVL01,” Walker said. “We finally have a variety that we feel comfortable using the technology on more than just emergency areas.

“Basically with 01, and to a certain extent with 02, we were using the technology on our worst fields that without the technology we wouldn’t be able to grow rice on. With 03, we can put it on fields that aren’t a problem so they don’t become a problem.”

In the 2021 Arkansas Rice Commercial Trials across 11 locations in the state, PVL03 averaged 185 bushels per acre, with an average milling yield of 58-71, according to preliminary results.

The Clearfield long grain CLL16 averaged 201 bushels per acre, with an average milling yield of 55-69.

Better agronomics PVL03 has a much-improved disease package compared to its predecessors, thanks to Pi-ta and Pi-ks blast-resistance genes. It also has a gene for Cercospora resistance.

Because of that, Zaunbrecher said he didn’t need to apply a blast fungicide this past season. Although he didn’t see Cercospora in the first crop, he did see some type of brown leaf spots in the second crop that likely affected grain fill in the most severely infected areas.

In addition to better disease tolerance, the new Provisia release has a kernel length of 7 millimeters, considered the sweet spot for long-grain buyers and millers. PVL01 had a very long kernel of

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VICKY BOYD

ayne, Louisiana rice producer Fred Zaunbrecher has grown the Provisia rice varieties PVL01, PVL02 and now, PVL03, for seed. Although he said all three offer solid grass and weedy rice control because of the Provisia trait and paired Provisia herbicide, the first two releases were not as strong agronomically as he would have liked.

But that changed with PVL03, which brings improved yield potential, grain length, and blast and Cercospora resistance. In fact, Zaunbrecher — who farms with his brothers Phillip, Paul and Bill — said he plans to also plant some fields of it this season for commercial milling.

“We decided we’re going to plant some where we have had Clearfield,” he said. “I think it’s going to be really good rice.”

The LSU AgCenter showed off PVL03 during the U.S. Rice Quality Symposium II, held in conjunction with the USA Rice Outlook Conference recently in New Orleans. The event provided opportunities for buyers to meet with rice breeders and learn about and taste some of their recent releases.

7.2 mm that was prone to breakage during milling. PVL02 had a 6.5 mm kernel, still considered a long grain but shorter than some buyers would like.

From the Louisiana State University AgCenter breeding program of Dr. Adam Famoso, PVL03 will be available commercially through Horizon Ag for this season.

Developed using conventional breeding techniques, Provisia rice varieties withstand over-the-top applications of Provisia herbicide from BASF. Because the herbicide strictly targets grassy weeds, including weedy rice, growers will need to incorporate broadleaf weed management into their weed control programs.

Wait for the sun For best results, BASF recommends applying Provisia herbicide when the crop is growing well and on a sunny day with a forecast for several more sunny days.

Zaunbrecher said he has seen firsthand the benefits of following the recommendation. During his first year with PVL01, he made the first Provisia application only to have the weather turn cool and RICEFARMING.COM

cloudy for several days. As a result, he saw a crop response, but the plants eventually grew out of it.

In 2021, Zaunbrecher had one field that proved challenging for stand establishment. They had moved dirt the previous year and even applied chicken litter afterward. Even so, he suspected the dirt work caused lingering problems.

Once the crop came up, five weeks of cold weather delayed the first Provisia application.

“We couldn’t spray Provisia until it got warm or the rice got a little bigger,” he said. “You don’t want to spray Provisia during cold weather. The only thing you can do is wait, but at the same time the grass and red rice is going to get bigger.”

Technology stewardship To help preserve the Provisia technology, Walker recommended growers use it in rotation with Clearfield rice, conventional rice and/or soybeans. Regardless of the mix, he warned against growing two consecutive years of Provisia rice.

“Ultimately, the rotation that BASF has talked about is four

years,” Walker said. “You could theoretically grow three crops of rice and one crop of soybeans.”

Although he said soybeans are an option for many growers in the Delta, they may not work well for growers in Texas and South Louisiana, where fallowing is part of the rotation. In those areas, Walker said two rounds of a Provisia-fallow rotation could possibly result in growers eventually being able to return to using Clearfield varieties as part of the mix.

Pleased with overall results Overall, Zaunbrecher said he was pleased with his PVL03 yields, especially since he planted only 24 pounds per acre to try to maximize seed production. A 45-acre field yielded more than 50 barrels (180 bushels) per acre on the first crop, while another 48-acre field yielded more than 40 barrels (144 bushels) per acre.

The field with stand problems yielded about 40 barrels.

“The two fields that did well early did about 17 barrels (61 bushels) on the second crop,” he said. “The one that had stand problems made about 11 barrels (40 bushels).”

VICKY BOYD

Horizon Ag district field representative for north Arkansas Chase Kagen checks out a field of PVL03 near Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

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JANUARY 2022

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Living up to the billing New DG263L Dyna-Gro long grain impresses with strong yields and milling.

By Vicky Boyd Editor

Put to the test Reidhar and Raun were two of hundreds of farmers who tried DG263L on about 80,000 acres’ worth of demonstration fields in 2021, said Randy Ouzts, Nutrien Ag Solution’s U.S. rice manager. Based on 2021 yield and milling results as well as grower interest, he said he should have plenty of seed to meet market demand this season.

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PHOTOS BY VICKY BOYD

J

eff Reidhar, who farms rice near Des Arc, Arkansas, likes to explore his options as new varieties or technologies come out. When Dyna-Gro offered him a chance to plant 220 acres of its new DG263L long-grain variety in 2021, Reidhar didn’t hesitate. He was so impressed with the results that he plans to grow more this season.

“It cut good. It threshed good using a stripper-header,” Reidhar said, adding it yielded 189 bushels per acre dry with milling of 59-71. “I was very pleased with the milling. My milling was the worst I’ve seen in 23 years of farming, and the Dyna-Gro was the best milling I had. That’s why it stood out in my mind.”

He wasn’t the only grower pleased by the newcomer‘s performance.

LG Raun, who farms near El Campo, Texas, said he planted a 109-acre field of DG263L to see whether it would help him diversify his varietal mix.

“I’m locked into one variety, which I swore a long time ago I wouldn’t do,” he said. “I got down to one, and I’m searching for another variety. I want what the buyers want and will yield well and whether it’s economically feasible for my farming operation.”

This past season, Raun’s DG263L field yielded 88 hundredweight per acre dry (194 bushels per acre) with a milling yield of 59/69 during the first harvest. His ratoon yield was 18 cwt per acre (about 40 bushels), and he’s waiting for his grade sheet.

Nutrien’s Randy Ouzts (right) and senior breeder Dr. Qiming “Doc” Shao check out some of their varieties in a trial at the LSU AgCenter’s H. Rouse Caffey Rice Experiment Station near Crowley, Louisiana.

Developed by Dr. Qiming “Doc” Shao, Nutrien’s senior U.S. rice breeder, DG263L is a high-yielding conventional long grain with a strong disease package and good milling yields.

Yields harvested during 2021 ranged from about 185 to 190 bushels per acre dry to as high as 250 bushels per acre dry, Ouzts said.

In University of Arkansas 2021 Commercial Rice Trials across 11 locations, DG263L averaged 223 bushels per acre, according to preliminary results. That compares to 202 bushels per acre for the Diamond variety and 236 bushels per acre for the hybrid RT 7301.

Milling yields for DG263L across the farm-scale demonstrations averaged 5669, which Ouzts considered good for what was a challenging year for grain quality in many areas.

In the Arkansas commercial trials, the Dyna-Gro variety averaged 56-68 across 11 locations, while Diamond averaged 5770 and RT 7301 averaged 54-71.

Ratoon challenges Lower-than-expected ratoon, or second-crop, yields were one of the few disappointments for Raun with the new variety. This past season, he shredded all his fields after the first harvest before RICEFARMING.COM

flooding for the ratoon crop. What Raun noticed was the practice delayed DG263L maturity by three to four weeks. Areas on the levees that weren’t shredded matured significantly earlier. As a result, Raun said he doesn’t plan to shred after his first crop this season.

Despite his experience with the second crop, Raun said he plans to increase DG263L plantings to 200 to 300 acres this season to keep testing it.

“I’m very pleased with the first crop, not so pleased with the second crop, but you’re still not that far off on the second crop,” he said. “Just for the sake of diversity, if it’s pretty close like this is, I’m going to have more seed for this year.”

Shao acknowledged that Nutrien is still learning about the new variety, especially its ratoon potential.

“I think there are ways to manage it differently,” he said. “We need to get more information. Maybe we can get some better ideas of what’s going on.”

He plans to talk to growers of second crops to collect information about their practices to try to correlate to ratoon yields.

Based on 2021 observations, Ouzts said they also plan to reduce recommended seeding rates by about 10% for 2022 due to the variety’s heavy tillering. Nutrien should have a better idea after it conducts additional seeding rate studies this season.

Raun also plans to back off his seeding rate for 2022. As with any new variety, he said he plants on the high end of the recommended rate. With Nutrien’s new variety, Raun drill-seeded 60 pounds per acre in 2021 and found it produced what he considered an overly dense canopy.

Strong agronomic package DG263L, short for Dyna-Gro 263 long grain, reaches 50% heading in 82 days in University of Arkansas trials. With a height of 36 inches, it has good straw strength, which was tested during three hurricanes in three successive years at Nutrien’s El Campo, Texas, research station.

Raun said he was impressed with the variety’s stoutness from the time it emerged until harvest.

“The plant type was just amazing,” he said. “It looked like a grain sorghum plant coming up. It looked stout as can be.”

The variety has a diverse genetic background, with germplasm from China, India and Brazil as well as from two older U.S. public varieties, Cypress and Alan, TWITTER: @RICEFARMING

Nutrien Ag Solution’s senior rice breeder Dr. Qiming “Doc” Shao (right) discusses the quality traits of DG263L with potential buyers. The meeting was part of the U.S. Rice Quality Symposium II, held in conjunction with the USA Rice Outlook Conference recently in New Orleans.

“The science hasn’t caught up to whatever blast package this variety has because it’s naturally occurring,” he said.

It also has a gene imparting resistance to Cercospora, based on Louisiana State University AgCenter analysis.

Several seed producers ramped up production of DG263L last season in anticipation of strong demand for 2022. This field was in northeast Arkansas.

Shao said. DG-263L actually is part of a system used to develop hybrids in Nutrien’s current breeding program.

While DG263L doesn’t have the Pi-ta or Pi-ks blast-resistance genes, it does have native tolerance to the fungal disease, Ouzts said.

Cooking show and tell Shao showed off the new variety as well as two experimental lines during the Rice Quality Symposium II, held during the recent USA Rice Outlook Conference in New Orleans. Supported by USA Rice and the Rice Foundation, it is part of an industry effort to develop rice varieties with end users in mind. Select buyers, including from Latin America, were invited to meet with U.S. rice breeders and taste cooked samples of their releases.

Shao said DG263L was well received by tasters and buyers who liked the firmer texture.

DG263L also has an amylose content of 26%, putting it in the high-amylose category. A type of rice starch, amylose affects the stickiness of cooked rice — the higher the amylose, the drier the rice cooks. Kernels from high-amylose varieties also separate after cooking.

These cooking characteristics are sought by processors, parboilers and many Latin American rice buyers.

JANUARY 2022

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RUSS PARKER, UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS

A combine begins to harvest Stephen Hoskyn’s rice field that was entered in the Most Crop Per Drop Contest.

More crop per drop Economical pitless continuous-flow tailwater return system helps maximize water-use efficiency in row rice.

By Vicky Boyd Editor

U

niversity of Arkansas water management engineer Chris Henry developed and launched the Most Crop Per Drop Contest in 2018 to promote maximizing crop yields while minimizing water use. Since 2013, Henry had also been working at the Rice Research and Extension Center near Stuttgart, on a new economical, simple and easy to install continuous-flow tailwater return system to help growers improve water management on furrow-irrigated rice. Henry had just patented the system and was installing a handful of on-farm systems to test the system on working farms.

His presentation during a virtual 2021 winter production meeting caught the attention of Stephen Hoskyn, who farms with his family near Stuttgart, Arkansas.

Because they’re within the severely overdrafted Grand Prairie groundwater area, most of their farm had already been developed with reservoirs or tailwater return pits. But Hoskyn had picked up a new piece of ground that wasn’t tied in. Henry’s novel system would be ideal to put to the test in a row-rice field on the new farm. At the urging of Henry, Hoskyn also entered the field in the 2021 Most Crop Per Drop Contest.

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How the system works The continuous-flow tailwater system uses a high efficiency 2- to 5-horsepower variable-speed pump to move the water (500900 gpm). It draws about the same amperage as a handheld hair drier.

A water-level sensor controls the motor speed — the lower the water level, the slower it runs.

Like other row water systems, a Computerized Hole Selection (aka Pipe Planner) program determines poly tubing diameter and hole sizes based on flow, field size and field slope.

Using a backhoe, an approximately 6-foot-deep sump is dug at the bottom of the field. A 5-foot metal pipe encases the sump with the below-grown portion solid metal. Only the few feet above ground is perforated.

The pump is installed in the sump and hooked up to the nearby electrical source. The pump is connected the top of the field using the higher pressure rated transfer tubing running through the middle of the field to relay water from the bottom to the top and feed it back into the row-watered poly tubing. Installation is fairly simple, and Henry thinks farmers could install the pumps themselves.

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System vs. regular row-rice irrigation What the tailwater system does is continuously recirculate water to improve crop uniformity and maintain near-field capacity top to bottom of the field, throughout the growing season, Henry said.

In a typical row-rice field, growers block the bottom of the field to catch and back up irrigation water. The top third or so receives irrigation every few days and dries out in between, potentially stressing the rice. The middle third is irrigated more like an alternate-wetting-drying — or AWD — field, while the bottom third is more like a conventional flooded rice field.

As a result, rice maturity in the top and bottom thirds is delayed, making harvest decisions difficult. But in the continuous-flow system the yields and moisture differences are much less from top to bottom. The system eliminates pigweeds and provides so much flexibility on scheduling water on the field compared to a field without the patented system.

Based on calculations, Henry said his system has about a twoyear payback. In addition, it doesn’t take the large amount of acreage out of production that a permanent tailwater return pit does.

But the continuous-flow system won’t fit every situation, he said. The field must not have too steep a grade, must have an area at the bottom where water can be ponded for return, and can be installed feasibly within 3,000 feet of the power grid using small sized direct bury wire.

System put to the test Based on the 2021 Most Crop Per Drop Contest results, Hoskyn took top honors with a water-use efficiency of 9.77 bushels per inch of water used. Water-use efficiency is calculated by dividing yield by the total water — rain plus irrigation — received by a field.

Hoskyn, who planted RiceTec’s XP753 hybrid, harvested nearly 240 bushels per acre corrected to 12% moisture. He applied 13.47 inches of irrigation and received another 16.09 inches of rain (adjusted) for 29.56 inches of total water applied.

As far as water-use efficiency, Hoskyn even beat Henry, who ran the continuous-flow tailwater return system on a 40-acre field of RT7321 at the RREC during the 2021 season.

“We look at basically everything every day during irrigation season,” Hoskyn said.

His feat also showed the importance of management, something Henry hoped the contest will reinforce.

“Technology is an aid — it’s the management that is most important,” Henry said. “Stephen had the technology, but he also TWITTER: @RICEFARMING

VICKY BOYD

Hoskyn said he regularly watched the water level in the field.

When it wasn’t flowing out of all the holes in the MIRI tubing, he’d turn on the well and run it for two to four days to top off the system. The actual irrigation set was based on temperature, rainfall and the needs of adjacent fields that used the same well.

Then he’d turn off the well and could go for up to eight days before restarting it, all the while the tailwater return system recirculated water.

For the 2022 season, Hoskyn plans to plant soybeans in the contest field. But he has an adjacent field, planted to soybeans in 2021, that he plans to rotate to row rice this season. He said he hoped to install a continuous-flow tailwater system in the new field.

Henry designed the system to be semi-portable. The sump is permanent, but growers can remove the pump and move it from field to field.

Stuttgart, Arkansas, rice producer Stephen Hoskyn tested the continuous-flow tailwater return system in 2021.

watched the water. The last half of the season he was really watching his water use.”

Hoskyn said he had a hunch his field would do well, but taking top honors wasn’t a given.

“I was surprised that I won, but I knew we had good yield and didn’t use a lot of water,” he said.

What caught his attention more were the prizes for first place.

Although Hoskyn said he was excited about the $11,000 worth of hybrid seed from RiceTec, he was also interested in the water management tools. Among those were an Irrometer manual reader and three Watermark sensors, a 10-inch McCrometer portable flow meter with an FS-100 Flow Straightener, a 10-inch Seametrics AG 90 Insertion Magmeter (flowmeter), a Trellis base and sensor station, a CropX soil moisture monitoring unit and an AquaTrac AgSense soil moisture monitoring unit, and cash from Delta Plastics.

“I’m pretty pumped up to play with the water sensors on some other row-rice fields,” Hoskyn said. “I’ve had a couple of different ones that people had given me to use over the years.”

Coming in second place was Seth Tucker of Monticello, who had a water-use efficiency of 6.31 bushels per inch. Third place went to Matthew Feilke of Stuttgart, with a water-use efficiency of 4.84 bushels per inch.

In previous Most Crop Per Drop contests, no row-rice field ever took first place, but were often second or third, Henry said. The Hoskins entry is the highest rice WUE ever achieved by anyone (8.7 bu-in was highest in 2020) in the four-year history of the contest. The top six row-rice entries averaged 215 bushels per acre with a water-use efficiency of 4.92 bushels per inch. Among the eight row-rice fields that entered the contest were the three winners.

To learn more about the Most Crop Per Drop Contest, visit https://bit.ly/3pUOaua.

JANUARY 2022

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A win is still a win, even with an asterisk Arkansas growers close in on new yield record, but fall weather impacted milling yields.

By Ryan McGeeney

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A wet spring, hot summer and a fall all over the place Arkansas rice growers struggled in the spring to get rice into the ground, as “yet another in a string of wet years” made it difficult for producers to work up momentum, Hardke said.

“We struggled early in the season, but that then turned into high temperatures over the summer,” he said. “Clearly, better weather makes better rice — or it makes more rice, anyway.

During the first week of June, a record 48-hour rainstorm brought significant flooding to parts of southeast Arkansas, destroying approximately 600,000 acres of crops. Although rice was not the hardest hit, Hardke said the storm did affect total rice acres and production.

The high summer heat helped support 2021’s record rice yield, although it also contributed to some of the aforementioned milling losses.

“Once we got to the latter part of August and beyond, it seemed like we had extremely heavy dew periods throughout,” he said. “It was very wet and staying very warm. Meaning that all those kernels in the field that were pretty mature were getting re-wetted at night, then drying back out during the day. That can

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JANUARY 2022

VICKY BOYD

or several years now, Arkansas rice yields have been chasing the record, set in 2013 and then tied in 2014, of about 168 bushels per acre. After four years of hovering at 167, it looks as though the state’s growers are closing in on a new record, at or very near 169 bushels per acre. The catch, however, comes after the harvest.

Jarrod Hardke, Extension rice agronomist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said there are indications milling yields will exert a distinct downward pressure on the state’s final rice production numbers.

“An old-school theory is that conditions that lead to higher rice yields also lead to higher milling yields,” Hardke said. “And that can happen, but it’s by no means a guarantee. Getting a high percentage of whole kernel rice and fewer broken kernels really has a lot to do with the fall conditions. Once the crop is already made and is beginning to dry down for harvest — that’s when you find out if conditions are really conducive to good milling yields.”

Nevertheless, Hardke said, 2021 was a win for Arkansas rice farmers.

“The milling aspect is a concern for growers and everyone else in the industry,” he said. “It affects everyone’s bottom line, but it was a very successful 2021 season. That’s the give-andtake to the year.”

Many growers experienced high levels of peck damage in rice, which is often associated with rice stinkbugs.

form fissures or cracks — and the more that happens, the more cracks form, and the worse they are.

Once it reaches “maturity and the crop’s drying down, only bad things can happen to that rice,” Hardke said. “Anything that is going to increase the amount of broken kernels you end up with in the milling process — it’s going to lower the milling yield, and by extension, lower what you get paid for your rice.”

RICEFARMING.COM

RYAN MCGEENEY, UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS

A combine harvests rice in Lonoke County, Arkansas, in October 2021.

Other battles Many growers also experienced high levels of peck damage in rice that is often associated with rice stinkbugs. The industry standard is known as 55-70 — meaning that in a given bushel of rice, 55% of it is head rice, which is the whole kernel rice grain.

And 70% is total rice, which is everything that remains after the hull and bran have been removed. Growers are paid a premium for exceeding the whole kernel standard but are discounted for falling below the standard.

“This year, both milling numbers — head rice and total rice — were lower,” Hardke said. “We know that things like long stretches of high nighttime temperatures during the grain filling process can lead to thinner kernels.

“So now it’s a bulk density equation — they’re just a little thinner meaning less total rice. Having a thinner kernel can also make them more prone to breakage meaning fewer whole kernels.”

Hardke said the immediate impacts will be felt by growers, who will be paid less for their crop, and by buyers, who will have to mill more rice to fill existing grain orders. He said consumers will likely not see any impact in terms of product availability in the short term.

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On the world stage While much of the world faced new struggles in 2021, global rice production — and consumption — continued to increase.

Alvaro Durand-Morat, assistant professor for the Division of Agriculture, co-authored the “2021 Markets in Review” December report for the Fryar Price Risk Management Center of Excellence.

He found that global rice production is expected to reach more than 511 million metric tons in 2022, representing a 10% increase over the past decade.

Most of that production, Durand-Morat said, has come from increased yield, as rice acreage has only slightly increased.

Global rice demand is estimated at 509 million metric tons, just short of projected production.

Durand-Morat said there is some market uncertainty for U.S. long-grain rice exports, due largely to political instability in Haiti. The country, which saw a massive weather-related disaster and the assassination of its president in July, is the destination for about 45% of U.S. long-grain rice exports.

Ryan McGeeney is a communications specialist with the University of Arkansas. He may be reached at rmcgeeney@uaex.edu.

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LEFT: Nicole Montna Van Vleck and Jeff Durand. RIGHT: The Powell Group representatives, from left: Patrick Hartwell, Philip Bertrand, Laura Kelly and Jack McClelland.

USA Rice recognizes 2 sustainability leaders

U.S. Rice recently honored two industry leaders for their long-standing contributions to sustainability and conservation.

The awards were presented during the USA Rice Outlook Conference Awards Luncheon.

The USA Rice Distinguished Conservation Award was established more than a decade ago by California rice grower Al Montna during his chairmanship of USA Rice. At the luncheon, Montna’s daughter and 2021 Rice Farmer of the year Nicole Montna Van Vleck presented this year’s award.

“Because last year’s Outlook Conference was canceled, we have not recognized anyone for the Distinguished Conservation Award since December 2019. So when we began the process to identify the most deserving recipient, Conservation Committee chair Leo LaGrande stated that we need to recognize someone who could win this award two years in a row to make up for last year.”

One name rose to the top: Jeff Durand, a man who has given selflessly to the U.S. rice industry. Jeff began farming rice and crawfish in St. Martinsville with his brothers, C.J. and Greg, in the 1970s, and conservation has long been an integral part of their operation.

No-till has been implemented on Durand Farms since 1980, and their water and nutrient management and wildlife habitat efforts are award winning.

The USA Rice Sustainability Award was created in 2016. It recognizes the efforts of all segments of the industry to not only conserve natural resources but to find ways to address all three pillars of sustainability: environmental, economic and social. A subcommittee of the USA Rice Sustainability Committee chooses the winner based on several criteria, including leadership in the industry and broader sustainability community, and a history of promoting and advancing sustainability through innovative practices.

Laura Kelly represented The Powell Group that received the 2021 USA Rice Sustainability Award in recognition of the company’s three distinct entities that lend themselves the most to sustainability. They are Agrilectric power partners, Agrilectric Research Co. and B.H. Mitigation.

Case IH, MacDon partner on draper headers

Racine, Wisconsin-based Case IH has partnered with MacDon Industries Ltd. to manufacture co-branded draper headers designed for Case IH Axial-Flow combines. The new line of draper headers will be available to order in early 2022 at Case IH Dealers on a worldwide basis, except for South America.

“Case IH and MacDon have a shared legacy and goal of making harvesting easier and more productive for North American farmers,” Scott Harris, Case IH global president, said in a news

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News release. “By pairing Case IH’s industry-leading portfolio of Axial-Flow combines and a robust dealer network with MacDon’s draper header expertise and products, we aim to deliver a best-inclass harvesting package for producers.”

Based in Manitoba, Canada, MacDon has manufactured high-performance harvesting equipment for more than 70 years.

The company is known for working directly with producers and custom harvesters to make equipment that helps producers efficiently harvest crops and fuel the world.

For more information about Case IH, visit www.caseih.com.

For more information about MacDon, visit www.macdon.com.

COURTESY USA RICE

PHOTOS COURTESY USA RICE

Industry

Seated, from left: Rice Foundation Board Chair David Petter, and program sponsors Brian Ottis (RiceTec), Nicole Van Vleck (ACC) and Chris Crutchfield (ACC). Class members standing, from left: Peter Rystrom, John McGraw, Julie Richard, Adam McCalister and Conner Popeck (not pictured: Daniel Cavazos and Corey Conner).

2022-24 Rice Leadership class named

Members of the 2022-24 Rice Leadership Development Program class were announced recently during the annual Rice Awards Luncheon at the 2021 USA Rice Outlook Conference.

The class is composed of seven rice industry professionals selected by a committee of agribusiness leaders.

“This is an outstanding group that displays exceptional leadership potential. They are also diverse, both in background and geographically,” said Rice Foundation director Steve Linscombe.

The new rice-producer class members are Daniel Cavazos, Wellington, Florida; John McGraw, Star City, Arkansas; Conner Popeck, Gueydan, Louisiana; Julie Richard, Kaplan, Louisiana; and Peter Rystrom, Chico, California.

The new industry-related class members are Corey Conner, Lake Arthur, Louisiana; and Adam McCalister, Woodland, California.

The Rice Leadership Development Program gives young men and women a comprehensive understanding of the U.S. rice industry, with an emphasis on personal development and communication training. During a two-year period, class members attend four one-week sessions designed to strengthen their leadership skills.

John Deere Co., RiceTec Inc. and American Commodity Co. sponsor the Rice Leadership Development Program through a grant to The Rice Foundation, and USA Rice manages the program.

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Specialists

Speaking For public varieties, Diamond continues to be the highest yielding, with ProGold1 performing similarly. Of note, Jewel has performed better than Diamond in limited large-block testing.

Clearfield options include CLL16, CLL15 and CLL17. CLL16 appears to be the most consistent and high-yielding Clearfield variety. CLL15 and CLL17 each did well in 2021 but have shown disease or lodging concerns in recent years.

When managed properly, they’re competitive with CLL16. FullPage hybrid options include RT7321 FP and RT7521 FP, which were on a large portion of acres in 2021 and performed extremely well. Their yields have often been similar, but RT7321 FP had higher yields in 2021 while RT7521 FP had better milling.

Provisia (PV) and MaxAce (MA) offerings are limited primarily to PVL03 and RTv7231 MA. PVL03 is a variety that has improved standability and disease package over its predecessor PVL02, along with higher, more consistent yields.

The MaxAce technology only recently received approval, so testing has been limited. RTv7231 MA (a variety) has shown very good yield potential in limited testing, sometimes performing similarly to hybrids.

Medium-grain growers have a number of competitive options.

Lynx is a newer medium-grain with improved yield potential over Jupiter and Titan, but lower recommended nitrogen rates are needed to minimize lodging. Titan has been consistently at or near yields observed with Lynx and offers early maturity.

A range of choices DR. JARROD HARDKE

ARKANSAS Professor/Rice Extension Agronomist University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service jhardke@uada.edu What to plant is always one of the most important decisions of the rice season. For 2022, every decision will be met with increased scrutiny given the overall rise in production costs.

The first question is do you need a conventional cultivar or do you need herbicide tolerance? If you need herbicide tolerance, do you need a Clearfield or FullPage offering or do you need a Provisia or MaxAce offering? Herbicide tolerance has its benefits for production and weed control, but it also carries increased seed cost.

For conventional options, RiceTec’s XP753 hybrid has been the most consistent performer and should be an option for most situations. RT7401 is a similar hybrid that appears competitive.

New to the market last year, DG263L is a variety that has shown performance closer to hybrids than other varieties released to date. It will expand in acres in 2022 and will provide a broader look at where it fits best.

Performance of selected cultivars in the Arkansas Rice Performance Trials, 2019-2021.

Grain Yield (bushels/acre)

Grain Type

50% Heading

2018

2019

2020

Mean

CLL15

L

85

206

200

199

202

CLL16

L

88

205

200

202

202

CLL17

L

85

--

195

191

193

DG263L

L

83

239

233

226

233

Diamond

L

86

204

206

198

203

Jewel

L

87

184

186

191

187

ProGold1

L

88

206

200

197

201

ProGold2

L

88

183

198

186

189

PVL02

L

84

180

160

157

166

RT7301

L

83

243

231

239

238

RT7401

L

84

--

238

237

238

XP753

L

82

242

241

241

241

RT7321 FP

L

81

237

228

237

234

RT7521 FP

L

84

240

212

226

226

CLM04

M

87

208

189

186

194

Jupiter

M

87

218

193

195

202

Lynx

M

86

215

203

200

206

Titan

M

81

218

201

206

208

Cultivar

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RICEFARMING.COM

Specialists Jupiter still performs well in trials but has become more erratic in its performance, particularly in field-level observations.

CLM04, a Clearfield medium-grain, has been competitive though it doesn’t outyield conventional medium grains. But it is an option where Clearfield is needed for a medium-grain grower.

Always worth saying — plant multiple cultivars to spread your risk. Maturity differences are relatively small with current cultivars, so mainly focus on having different options planted, but plant in order of maturity (earliest first).

Review additional Arkansas Rice Performance Trial data and planting date studies at https://uaex.uada.edu/rice. The table included here provides some multi-year data, but the full results for 2021 have additional cultivars and site-specific results from across the Arkansas rice-growing region.

Varietal choices, M-211 and certified seed DR. BRUCE LINQUIST CALIFORNIA UCCE Rice Specialist balinquist@ucdavis.edu

Varietal selection is one of the first and most important decisions rice growers need to make each year. In planning, first consider the maturity class that fits into your farming operations and climatic zone.

There are three maturity classes for California medium grains: very early (M-105), early (M-206, M-209, M-210 and M-211), and late-maturing (M-401, M-402 — both premium medium grains).

Second, think about your climate: M-105, M-206 and M-210 are considered broadly adapted varieties that do well in most California rice-growing areas. In the coolest areas of the region, M-105 outyields M-206.

If you are in a blast-prone area, consider M-210, which has broad resistance to blast. It is essentially M-206 with additional blast resistance. In our statewide variety trials, M-206 and M-210 have similar heading dates and yield.

The newest medium-grain variety is M-211, which has exceptionally high eating quality (comparable to M-401). In our statewide variety tests in the warmer areas where it is best suited, it outyields all other varieties by 3 to 4 cwt/ac. Furthermore, in our yield contest, M-211 has produced the highest yields we have seen.

It appears to have a broader adaptability range than M-209 and can be grown in slightly cooler areas of the valley than M-209; however, it does not do well in the coolest portions of the valley.

In terms of harvest timing, it is a few days longer than M-209, depending where you are in the valley. Also, preliminary research suggests it is less susceptible to stem rot than other medium grains.

The primary concern with M-211 is milling quality. This variety needs to be harvested close to 20% as quality drops fast TWITTER: @RICEFARMING

Speaking

when harvested drier. From a management standpoint to optimize yield and quality, be sure not to drain your field too early at the end of the season. Given its high yield potential, there is a lot of interest in planting M-211.

This variety is a bit different in a number of aspects, including less uniform heading, time to maturity, quality and tillering. If you are new to this variety, my advice (along with any breeder I know) would be to start slow and plant a couple fields of M-211 before committing large portions of your acreage to it.

Due to weedy rice concerns, the California Rice Certification Act in 2019 begain requiring that all rice produced in the state come from seed enrolled in an approved certified seed program or a quality assurance program. These steps were taken to ensure that fields are planted with seed that has been screened for the presence of weedy rice types. Handlers will be requiring proof that rice delivered to the mills has been grown with seed that met these requirements

Variety selection is the most important decision each year DR. RONNIE LEVY

LOUISIANA Extension Rice Specialist Louisiana State University RLevy@agcenter.lsu.edu Variety selection is not a decision to be made lightly as it is the most important one facing a producer going into the season. No other input can radically change the yield potential to the extent that variety selection can.

This decision can be challenging, but through the LSU AgCenter, producers have information at their disposal to improve this decision-making process. Fortunately, growers in Louisiana have multi-environment data to use when selecting varieties.

In addition to variety testing on research stations, the LSU AgCenter collaborates with rice producers to evaluate varieties directly on their farms. These trials provide valuable yield data from local growing conditions and agronomic practices.

To get the most from the “Rice Varieties and Management Tips” publication, we recommend judging variety yield results by looking at performance and stability. Performance refers to identifying the varieties that are high yielding in environments that best represent your farm. Stability refers to a variety’s performance across multiple environments in Louisiana and other states. It is important for growers to consider both factors when making variety decisions.

Variety yield potential is an important trait, but other varietal characteristics should also be considered. How these criteria rank in importance may vary from one grower to the next and may vary from one field to the next. A few of these criteria for variety selection are discussed below.  Herbicide tolerance and weed management programs: Regardless of the herbicide-tolerant technology, application of JANUARY 2022

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Specialists

Speaking

Cultivar selection is on the minds of many DR. JUSTIN CHLAPECKA MISSOURI Assistant Research Professor/ Rice Extension Specialist University of Missouri jchlapecka@missouri.edu

While it seems like winter just arrived, it won’t be long before drills are in the field. It’s pretty safe to say that once we get a few days into April, any dry window is fair game for getting rice in the ground in the Boot-heel.

Cultivar selection is on the minds of many, and analyzing yields across the last few years allows us to make some basic recommendations.  Hybrid selection: Having just returned from the USA Rice Outlook Conference in New Orleans, presentations from across the Mid-South indicate a continued shift toward hybrids. Likely two-thirds or greater of Missouri rice acres are now planted in hybrids.

For conventional hybrids, RiceTec’s XP753 has looked good for years and continued to look good in 2021.

RT7301 looked good last season but, for whatever reason,

residual herbicides and post-emergence herbicides are the best strategy to manage herbicide-resistant weeds. Furthermore, research has shown that early weed control can maximize yield.

Choosing the right variety for weeds or resistant weeds should be tailored to each field.  Disease resistance: Rice varieties in disease susceptibility. Sheath blight is an important foliar rice disease. This, and other foliar diseases, may cause significant yield losses. Blast may also be a major yield-reducing disease in any given year.

These and other diseases are rated to identify potential sources of resistance. Resistant-variety selection is the most economical way for producers to manage diseases.  Planting date: Environmental conditions vary by location and by year. Therefore, the optimal seeding time is presented as a range of dates. Rice yields may be reduced by planting outside of the recommended planting window. Seedling survival is not satisfactory until the average daily temperature is above 65 degrees Fahrenheit. If planting at a very low seeding rate, waiting for optimal weather reduces the risk of a failed stand.  Maturity: Most varieties will reach harvest maturity (20% grain moisture) within 30 to 40 days after heading under normal conditions. Medium grains normally require five to seven days more after heading to reach harvest maturity than do long grains under similar environmental conditions. Different maturity varieties can spread harvest that better use of equipment.

These are only a few considerations when selecting varieties.

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was off about 20 bu/ac in Missouri rice trials. 2021 data on RT7401 out of Arkansas also looks like that could be a solid choice in the future.

Looking at FullPage hybrids, RT7321 FP and RT7521 FP both continue to look like solid options as well, although 7321 has held a slight advantage in several trials.  Variety selection: News to probably no one, DG263L provided a huge spark for the inbred variety market. The variety consistently performed 10 bu/ac greater than all other inbreds in the 2021 Missouri rice trials. There should be about 400,000 acres of seed available across the Mid-South, and I see no reason why any would be left in the bag. However, we never want to bet the whole farm on one variety.

LaKast and Diamond have also continued to look very good for us in the Bootheel. Looking at Clearfield technology, CLL16 was the clear winner this year and likely will be for the next few years.

If you must grow a quizalofop-tolerant variety, PVL03 and RTv7231 MA both appear acceptable. I feel that PVL02’s standability was really exposed this past season and went down in most field trials.

As I’m writing this column, my prayers go out to all of those who were affected and are still being affected by the tornadoes that ravaged our area the night of Dec. 10. The lives of some close to me and across the quad-state area will never be the same.

Aside from this, I hope that everyone has a great Christmas holiday and a prosperous new year. As always, eat MO rice!

RICE

2022

VARIETIES & MANAGEMENT TIPS

Consult as many different sources as possible for information.

The 2022 “Rice Varieties and Management Tips” publication is available at www.LSUAgCenter.com or https://bit.ly/3slQXOV. RICEFARMING.COM

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