Rice Farming April 2020

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PROFITABLE PRODUCTION STRATEGIES

APRIL 2020

UC researchers study armyworm dynamics Contest prods growers to try new irrigation technology

Safety first Prevention is key to avoiding grain bin rescues

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March 2018 April 2020

COLUMNS

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Vol. 52, 54, No. 4 5

COVER STORY

4 From Fromthe theEditor Editor

Rice's long history Groundwater: out of bucks sight 'what's but not hot out in offood' mindtrends

USA Rice Update 6 Guest Column COVID-19 will test us, Rice and sustainability but we will not falter

8 USA Rice Update D PARTM E Npriorities TS RiceE industry sets for the next Farm Bill

18 Industry News

DEPARTMENTS 20 Specialists Speaking 19 Industry News Despite wet conditions,

Rice scenea hot topic waterbusiness use remains

20 Specialist Speaking

ON THEherbicide COVER: Takemistakes the proper can Early safety precautions entering plague you all before season longa grain bin.

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

Prevention is key to avoiding grain bin rescues. Knowing what to do in a bin entrapment alsoprepares is crucial.

The Californiaemergency rice industry for what may become annual armyworm infestations.

F E AT U R E S F E AT U R E S 11 A worldwide pest International conference highlights 9 The yin andrice yang the need to remain proactive against Shorter supplies have shorn up the weedy rice. market, but increased 2018 planting projections cloud long-term outlook.

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Still a perplexing problem

14

Floods aid expansion unravel armyworm dynamics and trap-

3 reasons to change preplant dicamba burndown use

Not as bad as you think Let’s rap about Dectes stem borer

16

Bragging rights

16

encourages to trybox water-saving New tools growers in the tool

Giant invasive snail threatens the ping results. rice-crawfish rotation in southwest Louisiana.

Look for the Soybean South supplement

following in the the Arkansas, Sign up forpage the 12 monthly e-newsletter Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and at ricefarming.com to have exclusive Texas versions of Rice Farming . industry news and content delivered directly to your inbox.

14

technology prizes.

Several newwith crop-protection products are available in time for this year’s rice season.

16

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MARCH APRIL 2020 2018

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From The

Editor

Groundwater: out of sight but not out of mind Buried deep below the soil surface, groundwater may be out of sight. Increasingly, though, the natural resource is anything but out of mind.

Several efforts, both voluntary and regulatory, are ongoing to try to reduce groundwater overdraft and increase recharge. How these will affect agriculture remains to be seen and may not be known for years to come.

Arkansas completed a revised water plan in 2015 designed to guide the state through 2050.

Among its findings: The state is predicted to have an annual groundwater overdraft of 7 million acre-feet. To address that, the state will need to convert more irrigated acres to surface supplies Vicky Boyd from groundwater. Then the question is: How do Editor you finance these surface supply projects?

Mississippi also continues to grapple with overdraft of the Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer, which supplies much of its irrigated agriculture. A multistate effort is currently examining recharge options.

Nowhere is the challenge as prominent as in the Golden State. The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, signed in 2014 by then-Gov. Jerry Brown, requires groundwater agencies to develop plans that would balance extraction with recharge by 2040 or 2042. An environmental impact report tied to SGMA downplayed its effect on agriculture, saying many growers would simply turn to surface water.

But the authors of the groundwater plan didn’t factor in proposed unimpaired flows, where water diversions could be cut by up to 45% on the Sacramento River and its tributaries. The Sacramento River is a major water source for Northern California rice production.

All of this boils down to trying to obtain “more crop per drop,” or as a recent Rabo AgriFinance report put it, “more profit per drop.”

The report’s author, senior analyst Roland Fumasi, credits rising water scarcity and cost for driving California’s increased permanent crop plantings — particularly almonds. Many rice producers in the Sacramento Valley have turned to tree nuts, where soil conditions allow, because of increased returns per acre.

Even if growers don’t have rice alternatives, researchers like University of Arkansas’ Chris Henry are trying to raise awareness of water conservation. Through the university’s “Most Crop Per Drop Contest,” participants are challenged to grow a high yield with less water.

The 2019 season was an anomaly because of unusually wet conditions. That said, winner John Allen McGraw of Lincoln County, Arkansas, grew 208 bushels of rice per acre for a water-use efficiency of 7.2 bushels per acre-inch. Second-place winner Joey Massey grew 210 bushels per acre for a water-use efficiency of 4.9 bushels per acre-inch, and that was with row rice.

Read more about the winners managed their water beginning on page 16.

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 Carroll Smith 901-326-4443 csmith@onegrower.com Sales Manager Scott Emerson 386-462-1532 semerson@onegrower.com Production Manager Kathy Killingsworth 901-767-4020 kkillingsworth@onegrower.com Audience Services Kate Thomas 847-559-7514 For circulation 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, TN. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to OMEDA COMMUNICATIONS, CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT, P.O. BOX 1388, NORTHBROOK, IL 60065-1388. Annual subscriptions are $25.00. International rates are $55.00 Canada/ Mexico, $90.00 all other countries for Air-Speeded Delivery. (Surface delivery not available due to problems in reliability.) $5.00 single copy.

All statements, including product claims, are those of the person or organization making the statement or claim. The publisher does not adopt any such statement or claims as its own and any such statement or claim does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher. RICE FARMING is a registered trademark of One Grower Publishing LLC, which reserves all rights granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in association with its registration.

© Copyright 2020

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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One Grower Publishing, LLC 875 W. Poplar Ave., Suite 23, Box 305, Collierville, TN 38017 Phone: 901-767-4020

RICEFARMING.COM

2020 Rice Awards Nomination Form The Rice Farmer of the Year, Rice Industry Award and Rice Lifetime Achievement Award recognize those rice leaders who have demonstrated dedication, determination and innovation to the industry. We need your help to identify candidates who are worthy of these prestigious awards. Please take the time to consider which industry members in your area should be recipients of these honors and mail or scan/email this form and supporting materials.

Categories: Please check the box of the appropriate award category:

q Rice Farmer of the Year Award • Must farm at least 200 acres.

• A farmer who has successfully achieved goals in his/her farming operation, rice industry association, community improvement/development, innovative production practices and/or environmental stewardship.

q Rice Industry Award

If you are submitting more than one nomination form, please make a copy before you fill out the form. Nomination forms can be downloaded or submitted online at www.ricefarming.com.

Nominee’s name Nominee’s address Nominee’s phone number/email address Nominee’s rice acreage (if applicable)

• Has been in the rice industry for more than five years.

• A researcher, Extension person, government/association leader, etc… who has demonstrated commitment to the rice industry through innovative practices, industry association, community involvement/development.

Your name

q Rice Lifetime Achievement Award

Your profession

• Has been in the rice industry for more than 10 years.

• An industry leader who has provided great contributions to the rice industry through industry associations, community involvement/development, innovative practices/projects that have advanced the industry.

Deadline:

June 30, 2020

Number of years involved in the rice industry (if applicable)

Your address Your phone number/email address Your signature

Date

Please send completed form & supporting materials to: Carroll Smith 7201 Eastern Ave., Germantown, TN 38138 Scan/Email: csmith@onegrower.com

Include supporting materials to elaborate on your nomination: In addition to completing this form, on a separate piece of paper, please describe the nominee in terms of the following guidelines: Dedication to farming and/or agriculture and the rice industry, local community and education.

Determination to succeed and overcome hurdles that have emerged while trying to reach goals.

Innovation to identify new and better ways for the industry to become more profitable, manage risk, achieve a higher level of efficiency.

It also is helpful to send letters of recommendation for the nominee from other individuals in the rice industry who are familiar with his/her accomplishments. A panel of judges from across the Rice Belt will select the recipients of the 2020 Rice Awards.

The award recipients will be honored at the USA Rice Outlook Conference, Dec. 9-11, 2020, in Austin, Texas, where an official presentation will be made at the awards luncheon. They also will be featured in a special salute sponsored by Horizon Ag, USA Rice and Rice Farming magazine in the December 2020 issue.

SPONSORS

USA Rice

Update

COVID-19 will test us, but we will not falter

By Betsy Ward

VICKY BOYD

President and CEO USA Rice

T

hese are difficult times for us all, to be sure. As I write this, sitting not in my office with a view of the Washington Monument but rather in my home in suburban Maryland, I can’t help but think how much our lives have changed in just one week. I’m trying to imagine what conditions will exist as you read this, some weeks after I’ve written it.

What new closures and bans on travel and gatherings will have been implemented?

Where will researchers be with a vaccine for COVID-19? What will our economy be doing? How will our health care system be faring?

It’s nearly impossible to answer these questions; however, the one constant in all of this is the piece that drives us forward — Americans will be eating. They will need food today, next month and next year. And everyone who works in the U.S. rice industry has a key role to play to supply this much-needed staple.

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While the health care workers and scientists are the ones who will eventually vanquish COVID-19, it is you who will help make it possible by keeping the nation fed.

While we at USA Rice are working remotely and don’t know when we will be able to return to our offices, we are still hard at work — proudly — for an industry that has been deemed essential for reasons of national security. Our jobs exist to support you and ensure you have the tools to grow, harvest and deliver a rice crop each year to the American consumer and to our customers around the world.

I know our growers are always proud of what they do — they should be. Every year, they risk everything and take on Mother Nature in the name of feeding others. They do it quietly, without complaint and every year they rise to the task, no matter what is thrown their way — too much water, not enough water, plant disease, invasive pests, hurricanes and more. Nature tries to break your spirit, and she tries hard.

This disease is no different. It is a challenge — a serious one — but it can be overcome. We will succeed as a nation. While the health care workers and scientists are the ones who will eventually vanquish COVID-19, it is you who will help make it possible by keeping the nation fed.

Keeping us comfortable and confident when we sit down to family meals with our loved ones or see all the charitable efforts going on around us to feed those in need, it is rice, your rice, that is often at the center.

I am proud to represent you; thank you for allowing me to. And on behalf of a grateful nation, let me say thank you for what you are doing for us all.

RICEFARMING.COM

Focus On Fertility, Weed Control Pete Baughman III Baughman AG Consulting Indianola, Mississippi

My dad, Pete Baughman Jr., was a consultant, so my first job was scouting rice and cotton. After graduating from Mississippi State University, I worked with him for a few years before starting my own consulting business in 2003.

We offer a variety of services, including grid soil sampling to generate fertility maps used to make variable-rate fertilizer applications. It’s important to keep fertility levels up to make as good a crop as you can. The two main things I preach are start clean and be timely with weed control and fertilizer applications.

We experienced a tough start to the 2019 rice-growing season. Wet weather delayed planting and made it difficult to make timely herbicide and fertilizer applications. Some areas also had to deal with the flooding issue, which resulted in prevented planting. But, despite these challenges, we still finished with an average to above-average crop.

This year, we are going through another wet spring. However, some of the rice ground was worked up last fall, which will help expedite planting once the fields dry out.

Broadleaf and Grass Control The two most troublesome weeds in my area are ALSresistant annual flatsedge and barnyardgrass. In fields where we have flatsedge issues, a pre-flood application of Loyant® herbicide provides good control.

I also have more row rice acres every year. Once the rice gets some size to it, we flood the bottom of the field but we don’t hold a flood at the top, which creates a challenge with pigweed and other broadleaf weeds. In a row rice system, we’ve found that Loyant does a good job of taking out these pests. Loyant also has a good fit on rice levees where pigweed is a problem.

On fresh-cut ground, especially where we’re planning to grow conventional rice, we apply herbicides at planting to start off clean. As soon as we get a stand (2- to 3-leaf rice), we come back with a tank mix of Clincher® SF and Prowl H2O herbicides.

Because we are focusing on the grasses, the earlier we can make this application, the better. We also use Clincher SF around sensitive crops where we are limited by which herbicides can be applied by air.

One of the bright spots for 2020 is the rice price has increased somewhat from last year. Everything always goes smoother if farmers know they can make a little money in the end.

• B.S., ag pest management, Mississippi State University.

• Consults on rice, corn, soybeans and a little cotton.

• Member of the Mississippi Agricultural Consultants Association (MACA).

• Member of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Indianola, Mississippi.

• Married to wife, Mary. Three daughters: Mary Katherine, Amelia and Lillie.

• Enjoys spending time with family, hunting, fishing and participating in church activities.

Recap: Focus On Fertility, Weed Control

t

1. We offer grid soil sampling to generate fertility maps used to make variable-rate fertilizer applications.

2. The two most troublesome weeds in my area are ALSresistant annual flatsedge and barnyardgrass.

3. In fields where we have flatsedge issues, a pre-flood application of Loyant® herbicide provides good control.

4. Not holding the flood at the top of a row rice field creates a challenge with pigweed and other broadleaf weeds. In this system, we’ve found that Loyant does a good job of taking out these pests.

5. On fresh-cut ground, we tank-mix Clincher® SF and Prowl H2O to control the grasses.

6. We use Clincher SF around sensitive crops where we are limited by which herbicides can be applied by air.

Sponsored by

Trademarks of Dow AgroSciences, DuPont or Pioneer, and their affiliated companies or their respective owners. Clincher SF and Loyant are not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Always read and follow label directions. © 2020 Corteva.

™®

Safety first Prevention is key to avoiding grain bin rescues.

Knowing what to do in a bin entrapment emergency also is crucial.

By Vicky Boyd Editor

B

efore Wayne Dulaney’s crew entered a grain bin near Clarksdale, Mississippi, in January, he reminded them of safety measures: wear harnesses attached to safety lines connected to the bin and have one person stay out as a spotter. After all, Dulaney had attended grain bin safety training classes and knew how quickly things could go wrong if proper precautions weren’t taken.

Unfortunately, the crew didn’t follow all of the safety procedures and two workers became trapped up to their chins by soybeans in the bin. But members of the four responding fire departments had received grain bin rescue training, so the story had a happy ending. Nevertheless, fire department personnel spent four hours before the workers were extracted.

As the number and size of grain bins continue to increase, so

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too do the number of grain bin rescues, says John Hubbard, Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation senior safety specialist.

At the same time, an increasing number of firefighters, farmers and farm employees have received grain bin safety and/or rescue training, resulting in more successful outcomes, he says.

“It used to be when we got a call to go to a grain bin incident, it most likely was a body recovery,” Hubbard says. “Now we have people walking out of it. Firefighters and farmers in the area know what to do.”

Grain bin safety and rescue training To help prevent grain bin mishaps, the Mississippi Farm Bureau over the years has partnered with the Arkansas Farm Bureau, the Louisiana Farm Bureau and other groups to conduct RICEFARMING.COM

PHOTOS COURTESY MISSISSIPPI FARM BUREAU FEDERATION

During a grain bin rescue, fire fighters use a rescue tube to prevent additional grain from flowing around the trapped person. Once the multi-piece tube is in place, they use a rescue auger to remove the grain in the tube.

grain bin safety programs for farmers and bin rescue training for first responders.

The Mississippi Farm Bureau also is one of the few groups that has a grain bin rescue simulator where volunteers who are properly fitted with safety equipment are lowered into a small grain container. First responders then practice rescues in a controlled situation, and the volunteers get to feel first-hand how much pressure the grain can exert.

Hubbard says local farmers have been generous and donated the grain involved in most of the simulator training sessions.

First-responder training typically averages 30 to 60 participants per session, while Hubbard says some farmer bin safety meetings have topped 200 attendees. Many county Farm Bureaus have also donated rescue tubes, rescue augers and other equipment to local fire departments.

“We have a lot of people involved, and it’s not just Farm Bureau. It’s all of the ag sector,” he says.

Richard Fontenot, a rice farmer near Ville Platte, Louisiana, and third vice president of the Louisiana Farm Bureau, says that organization tries to sponsor at least three grain bin safety and rescue training sessions in the state annually.

Each session attracts between 75 to 150 attendees, totaling 300 to 400 people trained per year. The Louisiana Farm Bureau also has purchased grain bin rescue equipment for several rural fire departments.

The effort paid off the past year as first responders had a successful grain bin rescue in northeast Louisiana, Fontenot says.

Prevention is key Preventing a grain bin accident is still the No. 1 take-home message, since becoming entrapped in a grain bin can happen in a matter of seconds, not minutes, Hubbard says. And workers can become entrapped in slightly more than knee-deep grain.  Before entering the bin, workers should ensure the grain auger is shut off so there is no grain movement.

TWITTER: @RICEFARMING

3 critical steps during an accident Should someone become trapped in a grain bin, follow these three steps: 1. Shut off the grain flow. This should stop all grain movement.

2. If the individual’s head is below grain level, turn on the drying fans. “Turning the air fans on gives them a chance,” says Mississippi Farm Bureau’s John Hubbard. If the person’s head is above the grain level, do not turn on the fan.

3. Call 911 immediately and do not enter the bin. Keep the individual in the bin calm, since any movement can cause further entrapment.

 The person or persons entering the grain bin should always wear harnesses attached to lifelines connected to the outside of the bin. The lines should have no more than a 6-foot fall. That way if the individual is walking across a grain bridge that gives way, he or she won’t drop more than 6 feet.  Never enter a bin alone. A spotter or observer needs to remain outside the bin to shut off power and call 911 in an emergency.

“If something goes wrong, he needs to know what to do,” Hubbard says. “He’s going to find help.”

The spotter also needs to remain calm and not jump in the grain bin to help colleagues. Entering the bin will likely add another person who needs rescuing, and every additional step on the grain tightens the pressure around the trapped individuals.

“A lot of people believe you can pull an individual free from the grain — you can’t do it,” Hubbard says. “If you tie a rope to them, you’ll pull them in half before you’ll pull them out.”

Fontenot, who has several large bins on his farm and has attended grain bin safety training, follows the rules. His workers need to wear harnesses with safety lines before entering a bin.

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As the number and size of grain bins continue to increase, so too do the number of grain bin rescues, says John Hubbard, Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation senior safety specialist.

“One of the biggest things we do with our guys is we have the buddy system,” Fontenot says. “Before anyone goes into the bins, whether it’s just for a repair or to take a sample or to move the crop, someone has to be around on the outside.”

‘Every rescue is different’ No two rescues are alike and depend on several factors including the grain in the bin. Corn and soybeans behave similarly, while rice is more like walking on concrete, Hubbard says.

“Every rescue will be different, and you’re going to have to weigh each situation differently and react in the appropriate way,” Hubbard says.

When the first responders arrive, they probably aren’t familiar with the farm and grain bin set-up, so the owner or operator will need to work closely with them throughout the effort.

The actual rescue typically involves erecting a multi-piece metal rescue tube around the entrapped. This will stop additional grain from flowing around the individual.

The fire fighters then insert a rescue auger into the rescue tube to remove the grain from around the individual.

The average grain bin rescue takes 3.5 to 4 hours, Hubbard says.

Ready-to-go rescue equipment The lack of proper equipment hampered a grain bin rescue in Missouri’s Bootheel in 2009. By the time firefighters cut away part of the bin to drain away the grain, the farmer had passed.

In 2019, the Hayti Fire Department in the Bootheel received $25,000 from Corteva Agriscience’s annual Transform My Community contest to purchase necessary rescue equipment as well as a 10-foot enclosed trailer in which to store it.

It is available to any fire department in the region and can be

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“Fortunately, grain bin rescue is not a real common thing, but when you have a grain bin rescue, you need proper tools and training.” quickly hooked up to a pick-up truck and towed to the rescue site.

In addition, 19 members of the Hayti Fire Department have undergone training from the University of Missouri and are now grain bin rescue certified.

“Fortunately, grain bin rescue is not a real common thing, but when you have a grain bin rescue, you need proper tools and training,” says Glen Whitener, Hayti Fire Department chief. “In our area at this time as far as I know, we’re the only fire department with consolidated equipment. There’s also a generator on the trailer so if you don’t have power, you can still run.”

One of the challenges, Whitener says, is rice creates a much harder surface than corn or soybeans in a bin. He didn’t believe it until a firefighter, who also was a farmer, brought a trailer full of rice to demonstrate. Try as they might, they couldn’t push the rescue tube into the rice.

“I’ve tried to pass the word on about this rice,” he says. “Nobody has addressed the rice issue as far as our training is concerned. We’ve trained with corn and soybeans, which are similar the way they move around.

“One of the dangers with any of the grain, particularly if it was put up damp or wet, is it’s more apt to cake up. Sometimes corn is put up wet as rice is. It looks like it’s solid and all of a sudden, it gives away.”

RICEFARMING.COM

DR. LUIS ESPINO, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

University of California’s Luis Espino visited rice fields and research plots in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, located in southern Brazil north of the Uruguay border. Rice producers there rely heavily on crop rotation as well as herbicide-tolerant varieties.

A worldwide pest International conference highlights the need to remain proactive against weedy rice.

By Luis Espino

T

his February, I had the opportunity to travel to Pelotas, Brazil, to attend the Seventh International Temperate Rice Conference. The meeting brings together temperate rice-producing countries to share information on rice issues and ongoing research.

Attendees included rice scientists from Uruguay, Chile, Argentina, Italy, Brazil, Russia, Australia and the United States. In addition to the technical presentations, we had a chance to take a field trip to see some rice fields and research plots.

During the technical presentations and field Dr. Luis visits, one issue kept coming up as a major proEspino duction constraint in all participating countries: weedy rice. In the area of Brazil where the conference was held, the state of Rio Grande do Sul, rice-production practices revolve around managing weedy rice.

Rotation and herbicide-tolerant varieties For them, rice fits in a larger system where fields are also rotated with soybeans or pasture. This helps them tremendously with managing weedy rice. When I would mention that in California, most rice is not rotated with other crops, other attendants were extremely surprised and wondered how weedy rice is not a major problem.

In addition to rotation, Brazilian growers rely heavily on herbicide-tolerant rice, the same technology used in the southern United TWITTER: @RICEFARMING

States to control weedy rice. We visited several trials comparing varieties tolerant to herbicides that kill weedy rice but not cultivated rice.

Even with these tools, weedy rice remains a big problem for Brazilian growers. During the field visit, it was not difficult to find some off-type rice plants growing in rice fields. I cannot confirm they were weedy, but they certainly looked suspicious.

From hearing the technical presentations and talking to scientists, it is clear to me that most countries rely on rotation and herbicide-tolerant rice to combat weedy rice. These strategies are limited (rotation) or absent (herbicide-tolerant rice) in California.

Need to remain vigilant Nevertheless, weedy rice has not become the big issue in California it has in other parts of the world — but it certainly has the potential to become one. California rice growers have the capacity to minimize the impact weedy rice will have on their industry by continuing to grow certified seed and remaining vigilant so early infestations are quickly addressed and eliminated.

I believe weedy rice is an issue that will stay with us for a long time but can be minimized if everyone working in the industry — researchers, Extension, consultants and growers — keeps their focus and continues to be proactive for years to come.

Dr. Luis Espino is a University of California Cooperative Extension rice systems adviser for Butte and Glenn counties. He may be reached at laespino@ucanr.edu.

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Still a perplexing problem California researchers continue work to unravel armyworm dynamics and trapping results.

By Vicky Boyd Editor

Trapping network Two armyworm species occur in California rice — Western yellowstriped armyworm and true armyworm — with the latter being more problematic.

During the 2018 and 2019 seasons, Espino had 15 pheromone traps scattered throughout the Northern Sacramento Valley rice belt. The attractant targeted male true armyworm moths.

Every week, student assistant Marcus

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True armyworms can go from first- or second-instar to inch-long worms in seven to 10 days.

Rehrman checked the traps and recorded the armyworm moths caught. During the 2019 season, Espino also tested a few automated traps that transmitted images of trapped moths. Unfortunately, he says, birds stole moths from the traps, so they didn’t provide accurate numbers. Nevertheless, Espino says he plans to continue testing them.

During both years, Espino charted the moths caught to determine when peak flights occurred. The moths typically have two peak flights per season, with the first one being larger and occurring in late June or early July. The second, smaller flight is in mid-August.

One of the challenges is you don’t know when the peak occurs until about a week afterward when you see trap numbers begin to drop, he says. If farmers have large acreage — particularly if they routinely have armyworm problems — and want to put up their own traps, they could check them more frequently and would know sooner when the peak has occurred.

Although Espino says they have a fairly good understanding of the feeding done

by the worms early in the season, they are still trying to figure out what happens around heading. When are the worms likely to bite panicle branches and when are they not interested in them anymore?

Another challenge with true armyworms is once you start seeing small firstor second-instar worms, they can reach inch-long larvae in seven to 10 days.

“They’re very quick to develop — that’s where the problem comes,” Espino says.

“You don’t see defoliation and you come back seven to 10 days later and they’re all over the place chewing up the rice.”

When to treat How much armyworm defoliation can occur before growers see yield reductions?

Espino says artificial defoliation trials were conducted to answer that question. Students hand-defoliated rice plants with hedge shears 40 days after seeding. The treatments in the 10-by-10-foot plots were an untreated check and 25%, 50% and 100% defoliation of foliage above the water.

The plants in the completely defoliatRICEFARMING.COM

PHOTOS BY DR. LUIS ESPINO, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

D

r. Luis Espino, a University of California Cooperative Extension rice systems adviser, had hoped pheromone traps could provide an early warning system for true armyworm infestations as they have worm pests in other crops.

But after two years of running a network of 15 traps throughout California’s rice belt, he says he hasn’t been able to correlate the number of moths caught to the potential severity of an infestation in nearby fields.

“Unfortunately, there’s no direct correlation that if there’s X number of moths in the traps, then you’re going to have problems,” says Espino, who is also the Butte County Cooperative Extension director. “We’re not finding that.

“But if you have high numbers of moths in the traps, it’s something you need to be aware of and something you should be out there monitoring more frequently, because it means the risk of having a problem is higher.”

Yet during the past two years, some traps picked up large numbers of moths with very few worms found in nearby fields.

“We don’t know what the differences are,” he told attendees of the recent Colusa County Farm Supply annual meeting in Maxwell, California.

During the 2019 season, Espino also tested a few automated traps that transmitted images of trapped moths.

ed plots never totally recovered and were stunted.

Maturity also was delayed, with the plants reaching 100% heading 12 days later than the untreated check. In addition, yield was reduced by 25% compared to the untreated plots.

Plants in plots receiving 50% defoliation were slightly shorter and were a couple days later in reaching 100% heading.

There were no differences in plant height or maturity between the untreated check and the 25% defoliation treatments.

In addition, there was no significant different in yields among the 50%, 25% and check treatments.

“These plots were planted in mid-June, so the yield potential wasn’t even 8,000 pounds per acre,” Espino says. “If this would have been planted at a more normal time, maybe we would see a higher yield potential and possibly some effect from the 50% and maybe the 25% (defoliation) treatments.”

He says growers still struggle with when to treat to see an economic return.

“It really depends on how much of the field is defoliated and the price of rice,” Espino says.

Armyworm infestations typically are localized in corners and along levees and field borders.

If only 5% of the field is defoliated, a grower might lose $20 per acre in reduced yields (dividing the yield loss in the 5% TWITTER: @RICEFARMING

by all acres). Compare that to roughly $40 per acre for an Intrepid SF insecticide treatment together with aerial application.

As the defoliated area climbs to 10% or

15%, then growers may see a return on investment.

“How big an area that is severely defoliated justifies the treatment,” he says.

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Restaurant closures cripple crawfish market

2020

By Bruce Schultz

Recognize an outstanding consultant or pest control adviser (PCA) for his or her dedication, leadership and innovation in the U.S. rice industry.

For more information, go to ricefarming.com/rcoy or go to Page 15 in this issue of Rice Farming.

Submit nominations by July 15, 2020.

S P O N S O R E D

B Y

Abbreviated Rules. No Purchase Necessary. Contest ends on 7/15/20 at 11:59:59 PM (CT). To enter, go to http://www.ricefarming. com/rcoy. Nominators must be legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry and possess knowledge and/or experience in the rice farming industry. Entrants must be legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry and serve as a rice consultant or as a pest control adviser in the rice farming industry. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: Corteva Agriscience, 9330 Zionsville Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268.

Trademark of Dow AgroSciences, DuPont or Pioneer, and their affiliated companies or their respective owners. ©2020 Corteva. ™

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A

Crawfish cash flow dries up Many rice farmers have depended on crawfish to keep them afloat, he says, but that is gone now.

“Our crawfish season is basically over,” Frey says. “There’s so much fear and so much panic going on.”

He says he had buyers in Dallas and Houston cancel further business.

“The fear is the unknown,” Frey says.

“I don’t know what it’s going to take to recover from this. This just dropped in our laps, and we had no way to prepare for it.”

Catch was just picking up Vermilion Parish farmer Christian Richard says the catch just started to pick up.

“The catch really turned on this week,” he says. “We’re crawfishing as much as we can.”

Richard says crawfish had been plentiful, but the numbers and size increased suddenly with warmer weather.

Some people are buying sacks of crawfish to boil at home, but it’s a small amount.

“There’s just not that many people buying,” he says.

Farmer Mike Hundley in Acadia Parish says sales to restaurants have decreased considerably.

“That’s come to a halt,” he says.

Hundley has a crawfish restaurant in the Mowata community, Mo Crawfish, but it won’t be able to operate at a profitable level, so he’s going to try an alternative — a drive-through.

Bad timing LSU AgCenter crawfish specialist and Louisiana Sea Grant agent Mark Shirley says this couldn’t have come at a worse time.

“We’re approaching the peak of the season,” he says.

Because the amount of crawfish bought by restaurants has fallen significantly, “you’ll be lucky if all those restaurants will do 10% to 20% of what they were doing,” Shirley says.

Processing plants can only afford to buy so much crawfish to be peeled and frozen, he says. They must factor the expenses of labor to peel, package and freeze the crawfish with the hope of selling it for a profit.

Shirley says it’s likely that buyers will give crawfish producers a quota to limit the sales. Added to that are the unknown factors of what processors and farmers will do with immigrant labor.

Richard says if processors buy a limited amount of crawfish, he won’t be able to afford to keep all his workers. They will have no choice but to return home — if they can get there.

PHOTO BY VICKY BOYD

Submit a nomination for the 2020 Rice Consultant of the Year Award.

s the nation’s economy has ground to an abrupt halt, crawfish producers are dealing with the fallout. Restaurants have shuttered, with many offering only delivery or drive-through business, so they aren’t buying as much crawfish.

Crawfish producer Gerard Frey, of Acadia Parish, says this is unprecedented.

“It’s crippling right now,” he says.

“We’ve never faced anything like it. We can only sell 10% or 15% of what we catch.”

He says he’s been unable to get all his workers from Mexico to fully staff the peeling operation, so he hasn’t had his processing plant running at full capacity.

“I just laid off four workers today,” Frey says. “We don’t know when this is going to end.

There’s no way we can cover our labor costs.”

His agreement with his imported labor requires him to pay at least 75% of their contracts “no matter what.”

“We’re just hoping and praying this thing is over soon,” Frey says.

Bruce Schultz is assistant communications specialist at the LSU AgCenter. He may be reached at BSchultz@agcenter.lsu.edu RICEFARMING.COM

2020

N O M I N A T I O N

Nominate an outstanding consultant or pest control adviser (PCA) for the Rice Consultant of the Year Award.

Sponsored by Corteva Agriscience and Rice Farming magazine, the annual award recognizes the dedication, leadership and innovation of this crucial segment of the U.S. rice industry.

“Crop consultants are invaluable to rice farming operations through the Mid-South. The agronomic advice consultants provide ensures the future profitability and viability of the rice industry for generations to come,” says LeAnn Bruns, product manager for rice herbicides, Corteva Agriscience.

SUBMIT SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION Please use a separate page for biographical/professional information.

Additional recommendation letters from other farmers, consultants and industry members in support of the nominee are encouraged.

F O R M

“At Corteva, we are honored to sponsor the Rice Consultant of the Year Award, recognizing those consultants who most exceed expectations for their contributions to the rice industry,” she says.

The RCOY Award recipient will:  Be featured in a four-page salute in Rice Farming magazine.  Be honored at a special recognition event.

The award recipient and nominator each will receive one night’s hotel stay and round-trip travel to the event.

Consultant’s Name: Company Name: Mailing Address: City:

State:

Phone:

Email:

ZIP:

Please describe the dedication, leadership and innovation that makes this person a good candidate for the 2020 Rice Consultant of the Year Award. (Use a separate sheet, if needed.)

Submit all materials via: Email: csmith@onegrower.com Mail: Carroll Smith 7201 Eastern Ave. Germantown, TN 38138 Online: ricefarming.com/rcoy

Your Name:

Submit nominations

by July 15, 2020.

Address: City:

State:

Phone:

Email:

S P O N S O R E D

ZIP:

B Y

Abbreviated Rules. No Purchase Necessary. Contest ends on 7/15/20 at 11:59:59 PM (CT). To enter, go to http://www.ricefarming.com/rcoy. Nominators must be legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry and possess knowledge and/or experience in the rice farming industry. Entrants must be legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry and serve as a rice consultant or as a pest control adviser in the rice farming industry. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: Corteva Agriscience, 9330 Zionsville Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268. ™

Trademark of Dow AgroSciences, DuPont or Pioneer, and their affiliated companies or their respective owners. ©2020 Corteva.

Bragging rights UArk’s ‘Most Crop Per Drop’ contest encourages growers to try water-saving technology with prizes.

By Vicky Boyd Editor

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PHOTOS COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS

F

or the past two years, the University of Arkansas has prodded growers of rice, corn and soybeans to try new irrigation technologies they might not otherwise use and to reduce water use smartly through its “Most Crop Per Drop” Contest.

“There’s an incentive now,” says Chris Henry, a University of Arkansas irrigation engineer. “Instead of doing this demonstration where growers are taking all of the risk, there’s something extra they can now get from doing it. There’s a prize, and they have that competitive nature. This gives them bragging rights, and this is bigger than I realized. They’re being recognized for being a good farmer.”

First place in the 2019 rice category was a tote of RiceTec hybrid seed, valued at about $11,000, or the cash equivalent.

Second place received $5,000 from M&M Mars. The university plans to again hold the contest during the 2020 season.

Rather than being a straight yield contest, Most Crop per Drop recognizes growers who harvest the highest number of bushels for every inch of water used.

The rice category is open to traditional flood as well as row-rice fields.

Growers also receive personal report cards breaking down how well they did and how they compare to other contestants. The feedback is something they typically don’t receive, Henry says.

“Normally you don’t get any feedback about how good a farmer you are, but this really tells you how you’re doing relative to your peers as far as water use,” he says.

“When people get that, they get a real feeling for how they’re doing with their irrigation.”

John Allen McGraw took top honors with nearly 208 bushels per acre (corrected to 12% moisture) and a water-use

John Allen McGraw of Star City, Arkansas, (with big check) took top honors in the University of Arkansas’ Most Crop per Drop Contest with a yield of 208 bushels per acre and a water-use efficiency of 7.2 bushels per acre-inch of water.

efficiency of 7.2 bushels per acre-inch of water (from rain and irrigation).

Second place went to Joey Massey, who harvested nearly 210 bushels per acre with a water-use efficiency of 4.9 bushels per acre-inch.

The average rice yield among all contestants in 2019 was 190 bushels per acre, with a water-use efficiency of 3.6 bushels per acre-inch. That same season, Arkansas’ average statewide rice yield was 167 bushels per acre. Compared to the fouryear Rice Verification Program average, contestants in 2019 used nearly 5 fewer inches of water.

The contest was sponsored by the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board, Arkansas Corn & Grain Sorghum Board, RiceTec, Seametrics, Trellis, McCrometer, Irrometer, Delta Plastics, M&M Mars and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

A little nudge For Star City rice producer McGraw, the contest gave him the extra push he needed to try a new technology.

“I was kind of interested in intermittent irrigation, but the contest was what made me try it out,” he says.

McGraw, who has been using multiple-inlet rice irrigation and PipePlanner hole selection software for years, tried alternate wetting on a field with six levees.

AWD involves applying a flood, then letting it soak into the ground until the water level is about 4 inches below the soil surface before applying more water.

McGraw’s contest field was planted to the hybrid Gemini 214 CL. He practiced AWD in the top three paddies, allowing the water to flow down to maintain a permanent flood in the bottom three. When the top three paddies became dry enough to support him walking out RICEFARMING.COM

on the soil, he irrigated again.

McGraw harvested ore than 208 bushels per acre, with little variation between the top three levees and the bottom half.

He applied 13.4 inches of irrigation and received another 15.4 inches of rainfall for an overall water-use efficiency of 7.2 bushels per acre-inch applied.

Although the yield was within his average on-farm production of at least 200 bushels per acre, the water use was what caught his attention.

In 2018, he estimated he pumped about 11 million gallons of water on the 40acre contest field. Using AWD in 2019, McGraw saved about $1,000 in pumping costs, or about $24 per acre, on the field.

“This really surprised me,” McGraw says. “It wasn’t actually used on the bottom half of the field. I was just forgetting about the bottom half and not really flooding it. I just flooded the top three levees.”

Although most of his fields are irrigated with surface water or tail water, the contest field is on groundwater.

With dwindling water supplies and a son on the way, McGraw says he believes he has a duty to try to make as efficient use of resources as he can so they’re still available for the next generation.

A learning experience Joey Massey, who farms near Paragould, entered the 2018 irrigation yield contest but didn’t place. Nevertheless, he took what he learned, made a few changes and took second place in 2019.

Joey Massey of Paragould, Arkansas, (center) nabbed second place in the ‘Most Crop Per Drop Contest’ with a yield of nearly 210 bushels per acre and a water-use efficiency of 4.9 bushels per acre-inch of water.

“Monitoring of moisture is very important in the efficient use of water,” he says. “Watering when you don’t need to, not watering when you need to, waiting too long to water and watering too long — all of those factors all affect water-use efficiency.”

Massey has worked with Henry for several years on moisture sensors and, more recently, remote systems that allow farmers to monitor soil moisture levels from their smartphone or computer.

Massey’s 2019 entry was a row-rice field planted to Gemini 214 CL. He changed his irrigation timing from the previous season

Portable flow meters installed on a contestant’s irrigation inlet measured water inflow.

The meters were sealed after installation to prevent tampering.

TWITTER: @RICEFARMING

to make more frequent applications but with fewer hours each time.

“One of the things I learned about water use in the rice is it doesn’t require a flood, but it does require a certain level of moisture,” he says. “And you need to be preemptive in starting the water.”

Massey learned that if he waited until the moisture sensor showed the crop needed an irrigation, he fell behind because of the time it took for the water to move from the top of the field to the bottom.

He only had one sensor in the contest field about one-third of the way down the rows in an area that never was flooded.

A sensor reading of 200 equated to a completely dry field whereas a reading of 0 meant complete saturation. In the past, Massey would begin irrigating when the reading hit 35.

“I knew if I waited until that got to 35 at that spot, it could be 45 before I got the water to it, so I started at 30,” he says.

Massey didn’t worry as much about having a deep flood on the bottom, either.

He says he made the modification after routinely visiting fields in person and seeing what was occurring.

“That’s why you can’t just go it off the phone,” he says. “That’s why you have to ground truth what the sensor is telling you.”

As Massey continues to convert his traditional flood fields to row rice, he says he plans to put what he learned in the contest to use.

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Industry

News

The seventh annual Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction recently honored four new inductees who have made major contributions to forestry, rice, cotton and sugarcane.

The Hall of Distinction recognizes individuals who have spent their lives advancing Louisiana’s farming, ranching, forestry, aquaculture, education and agribusiness industries.

This year’s inductees are James Barnett, John Denison, Jay Hardwick and Calvin Viator.

Barnett, a Pineville native, has spent nearly John 50 years advancing the reforestation of SouthDenison ern pine species. He is being honored for his major contributions, research, and advancements with seeds and seedlings. A former captain in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, he has written more than 350 publications on seedling survivability and forest nursery management.

Denison is a third-generation farmer from Iowa, Louisiana. He is being recognized for his integral role in the advancements in production and profitability of Louisiana’s rice industry. Denison has earned a number of honors and significant positions over the years, including chairman of the Louisiana Rice Producers Group, Rice Farming magazine’s Rice Farmer of the Year and serving as a founding member of the Louisiana Rice Research Board.

Hardwick of Newellton has made cotton farming more environmentally friendly by focusing on production techniques that have minimal impact on the surrounding ecosystem. His previous honors include the National Cotton Achievement Award, the National Award for Environmental Sustainability and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Excellence Award. He also serves as chairman of the American Cotton Producers of the National Cotton Council.

A native of the Bayou Teche area, Viator was reared on his family’s sugarcane farm and has become an active contributor to the agriculture community. He founded one of the state’s most successful crop consulting companies and works closely with the American Sugarcane League, the Louisiana State University AgCenter and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Washington University researcher nabs $2.6 million weedy rice grant

The National Science Foundation recently awarded $2.6 million to a Washington University team, so researchers can determine what makes weedy rice such a fierce competitor.

“Weeds that infest crop fields are a primary factor limiting agricultural productivity in the United States and globally,” Kenneth M. Olsen, professor of biology in Arts & Sciences at St. Louis-based Washington University and principal investigator, said in a news release. “In the case of weedy rice, the weed is essentially domesticated rice that’s gone feral.

“One of the things that always stands out to me about weedy rice is just what an aggressive competitor it is. A handful of these weedy plants per square meter can vastly decrease the productivity of the crop. If a rice field is infested with these weeds, it can reduce yields by 80% or more.”

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JOE ANGELES, WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

Louisiana’s John Denison inducted into Ag Hall of Distinction

Biologist Kenneth M. Olsen tends rice in the Jeanette Goldfarb Plant Growth Facility at Washington University in St. Louis.

The new NSF funding will support research to characterize the genetic basis and origins of the traits that allow weedy rice to invade rice fields, reduce yields and contaminate harvests. The team also includes investigators from the University of Massachusetts, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center in Stuttgart, Arkansas, and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.

The researchers will characterize three key features of weedy rice growth and reproduction.

First, they will investigate the patterns of root system growth that allow the weed to outcompete rice for soil nutrients. Previous research among the team members helped reveal how weedy rice repeatedly evolved “cheater” root traits.

The new grant also will explore the genetic and developmental basis of seed dispersal mechanisms that allow the weed to rapidly invade and proliferate in rice fields. In addition, researchers will examine weedy rice’s differential resilience against rice blast, a common fungal disease of rice fields.

Texas AgriLife researcher named WSSA Early Career Outstanding Scientist

Texas A&M AgriLife researcher Muthukumar Bagavathiannan received the Early Career Outstanding Scientist Award from the Weed Science Society of America at its recent annual meeting in Maui, Hawaii.

This is the society’s highest recognition for an early career scientist in his or her first 10 years after receiving a doctorate, according to a news release. The recipient is someone who has made a notable contribution to weed science with potential for continued excellence.

Bagavathiannan joined the Texas A&M University Department of Soil and Crop Sciences Dr. Muthukumar Bagavathiannan as a tenure-track weed science faculty member in 2014 with an AgriLife Research appointment.

He has since established a rigorous research group that is gaining national and international recognition in weed science research.

With research interests in the broader area of weed science and agronomy, Bagavathiannan’s particular emphasis is on weed ecology and management.

RICEFARMING.COM

Industry With the threat of herbicide-resistant weeds, his goal is to understand the evolutionary biology and dynamics of herbicide resistance in weed communities and develop integrated weed management for effectively targeting weed seedbanks. Notably, his program uses digital technologies in precision weed detection, management and ecology.

Bagavathiannan has published more than 65 peer-reviewed journal articles, 10 book chapters and several outreach bulletins.

He has already mentored three doctorate students, three master’s students, four postdoctoral researchers, two research assistants, five visiting scholars, 12 student interns and eight undergraduate researchers.

News ber of conservation-minded rice producers to create approximately 2,000 acres of shoulder season habitat this spring.

The foundation plans to continue the program, enrolling more producers and creating more critical waterbird habitat.

COURTESY CALIFORNIA RICE COMMISSION

LSU rice researcher recognized as ‘Woman of Excellence’

The American Multicultural Ethnic Coalition recently honored Louisiana State University AgCenter rice researcher Ida Wenefrida as one of the Top 20 Global Woman of Excellence for 2020 at a recent Chicago, Illinois, ceremony.

The honor recognizes women from around the world, including Poland, Canada, the Philippines, Thailand and Africa, according to a news release.

U.S. Rep. Danny Davis of Chicago presented the awards at a ceremony held on International Women’s Day. Wenefrida, an Indonesian American, is an associate professor who conducts her work at the LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station near Crowley, Louisiana. She has developed a high-protein rice variety, Fontiere, and is involved in research to develop more varieties.

Wenefrida is president of the worldwide Indonesian Diaspora Foundation and the Louisiana Chapter of the Indonesian Diaspora Network.

She received her bachelor’s degree in agronomy in Indonesia, her master’s degree in plant pathology from Mississippi State University and her doctorate in plant health from LSU. Don Groth, resident coordinator of the LSU Rice Research Station, says Wenefrida’s award is well deserved and that she is a valuable asset to the rice industry.

“We are very proud of Ida’s accomplishments in rice research,” he said in the release. “The benefit from her research helps rice producers in Louisiana, the U.S. and around the world.”

A greater yellowlegs enjoys a flooded rice field near Marysville, California.

As winter morphs into spring, the large numbers of waterfowl that have spent their winter in the flooded rice fields of California’s Sacramento Valley have begun to migrate north to breeding grounds.

At the same time, growers are draining fields in preparation for planting. By the time spring arrives, little flooded habitat will remain.

But the California Ricelands Waterbird Foundation wants to change that, since many species — such as migrating shorebirds, local waterfowl and other resident waterbirds — still rely on flooded habitats in the spring.

The foundation started a habitat-enhancement program, Bid4Birds, which focuses on creating shoulder season habitat, according to a foundation blog post. The shoulder season for Sacramento Valley waterbirds applies to flooded habitat in late fall or spring.

Now in its first season, Bid4Birds has contracted with a numTWITTER: @RICEFARMING

COURTESY LSU AGCENTER

Habitat-enhancement program targets ‘shoulder’ season for waterbirds

LSU AgCenter rice researcher Ida Wenefrida was honored as one of the Top 20 Global Woman of Excellence for 2020 recently. Presenting her with the award, at left, is Martino Tangkar, chairman of the Multi Ethnic Advisory Task Force, and U.S. Rep. Danny Davis of Chicago.

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Specialists

Speaking

Despite wet conditions, water use remains a hot topic DR. BOBBY R. GOLDEN

As I write this column (March 19), we historically have had at least one rice field planted in Mississippi or are beginning to plant the last week of March. But this year, I fear we will not get the first rice planted until the first week of April due to prolonged wet conditions.

Speaking of wetness, the topic for this column is water management. In regard to rice production, it has probably been one of, if not the No. 1, hot topic over the past several years. Declining aquifer levels in many rice-producing areas of the MidSouth rice belt necessitated a need for new research to determine ways to manage our water resource optimally.

Over the years, there have been many different methods developed to manage irrigation water, but it seems we have settled on three methods for the direct-seeded, delayed-flood rice-production method. The three that the Risk Management Agency has chosen to insure are traditional flood, alternate wetting and drying, and furrow irrigation. All three have advantages and disadvantages I will attempt to explain.

The traditional method of irrigation (flooding at five-leaf rice and holding until draining for harvest) is tried and true. It also offers benefits for pest management and nutrient use but can use the most water of all three systems or the least, as with zero grade. Water use can be reduced successfully while maintaining weed and disease control benefits by incorporating multiple-inlet rice irrigation strategies. Research with MIRI on straight levee fields in Mississippi has shown it can reduce water use up to 13-acre inches.

Alternate wetting and drying, or AWD, is most like the traditional method. For old rice guys, we used to call it poor water management, but research has shown that old adage is false.

Properly implemented, AWD (holding a full flood for at least three weeks after establishment) has the potential to reduce water use to near-zero grade levels on positive grade fields. Yet you maintain some flood water benefit for weed control and nitrogen management.

The final and perhaps hottest method in rice production circles is furrow-irrigated or row rice. Most research is still in its infancy on this water management strategy, but early trials suggest it can be used successfully in the proper production scenario. In Mississippi, the strategy has shown similar water use levels to AWD in trials to date. However, with no ponding flood water on a portion of the field, we lose the benefit it provides for nutrient use, weed control and disease management. To many producers using this technique, sacrificing yield on the top of a field is outweighed by not having to construct levees in the field.

All three systems can potentially reduce water use and main-

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COURTESY MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY

MISSISSIPPI Extension Rice Specialist bgolden@drec.msstate.edu

Research with multiple-inlet rice irrigation on straight levee fields in Mississippi has shown it can reduce water use up to 13-acre inches.

tain good yields if used in the proper field situation. If anyone is considering transitioning to one of the newer systems and have questions, give us a call — we’ll be glad to aid in weighing the pros and cons and help you make an informed decision.

Shift to row rice has boosted attention to irrigation DR. JARROD HARDKE

ARKANSAS Assoc. Professor/Rice Extension Agronomist University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service jhardke@uaex.edu It’s difficult to write about water management right now. It hasn’t stopped raining for what seems like two years. We need to get the water off of these fields so we can go to work, then we can start worrying about irrigation.

The surge in acres shifting to a furrow-irrigated system has brought much more attention to rice irrigation in general. As a reminder, rice is a semi-aquatic plant. That is, it likes water RICEFARMING.COM

Specialists and will tolerate a flood, but it does not need one to grow and maximize yield potential. This fact has risen to the forefront as more adopt row rice.

In a levee-irrigated (flood) rice system, we typically flood for two reasons: weed control and nitrogen management. These two production areas, in terms of cost and importance to yield potential, have been the biggest drivers behind maintaining a permanent flood. We also get the added benefit of blast suppression by maintaining a deep flood later in the season.

Multiple-inlet rice irrigation (MIRI) using collapsible poly tubing to irrigate each paddy at the same time rather than cascading through gates is still preferred. This system has been consistently used on about one-third of rice acres for the past several years.

There is a slight learning curve, but most who try it see the benefits immediately and move most of their acres to it. In drier years, we see as much as a 40% reduction in water use.

In a furrow-irrigated or row-rice system, there may still be as much art as science for determining irrigation timing. Generally, on loamy soils it’s recommended to irrigate once every three to five days while on clay soils it’s recommended to irrigate once every five to seven days.

On both soil types, some data exists to show it is possible to wait longer than these periods between irrigations. But the data is limited, and individual situations will dictate whether longer periods are feasible. The use of soil moisture sensors can help to guide irrigation timing by monitoring water in the soil profile.

Speaking

When we get rid of the water on hand, let’s be sure we work fields properly prior to planting. High and low spots in the field from ruts and minimal tillage can cause season-long issues with water management and ultimately affect yield, sometimes dramatically. When the field is prepared properly, given the weather window to do so, it makes water management far easier.

Maintaining a flood for 3 weeks after pre-flood N is key DR. DUSTIN HARRELL

LOUISIANA LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station dharrell@agcenter.lsu.edu Maintaining a constant flood on rice immediately after applying pre-flood nitrogen (N) fertilizer for a minimum of three weeks is critical to minimize N fertilizer losses to the environment. It does not matter if you are using water in your rice production system by traditional delayed flooding, alternate wetting and drying or multiple-inlet rice irrigation.

The reason for three weeks is simple: the ammonium form of nitrogen is stable under flooded, anerobic (no oxygen) conditions, and it takes four-leaf rice approximately three weeks after

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS

Rice is a semi-aquatic plant that likes water and tolerates a flood but doesn’t need one to maximize yield. This fact has risen to the forefront as more adopt row rice.

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Apply a timely flood to reduce seedling water stress DR. M.O. “MO” WAY

TEXAS Rice Research Entomologist moway@aesrg.tamu.edu Most Texas rice farmers use a delayed flood type of irrigation system. Rice is drilled into moisture, or if there’s little or no moisture, drilled then flushed.

Once rice emerges, flushes (or rainfall) are applied as needed until rice begins to tiller when a permanent flood is established.

It has been my experience that many farmers apply the flood too late related to emergence. Some farmers believe that an early flood inhibits tiller development, but this is not the case. Young plants are very susceptible to water stress.

In my research plots, I try to apply the flood about three weeks after emergence; I suggest you do the same. Row-rice irrigation is becoming more common in Arkansas, but only about 10% of Texas acreage is irrigated in this fashion. Researchers tell me that water savings are minimal, but the system can save time and labor in a soybean-rice rotation.

However, soybean acreage on the Upper Gulf Coast of Tex-

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Chinch bug eggs laid in base of young rice plant

DR. M.O. WAY

fertilization to take up the bulk of that applied N fertilizer. Past research evaluating the rate of N uptake by rice after flooding indicated that 11% of applied N was taken up the first week, 27% after the second week and 65% after the third week (Wilson et al., 1989).

The take-home message from this research was that the rate of uptake of N fertilizer by rice increased with the size of the rice and its root system. You would also expect that when rice is growing faster after N application, say in warm conditions, the N uptake would be even more efficient. And in cooler conditions when rice was growing more slowly, the efficiency would trend lower.

The loss of the flood water before the three-week period would allow oxygen to convert any remaining ammonium-N to nitrate-N. This is not immediately bad because rice can take up nitrate-N. However, once rice is reflooded and the system becomes anerobic again, the nitrate-N is lost very quickly as a gas by the denitrification process. Therefore, we always apply more N fertilizer before reflooding to make up for the predicted lost N. How much N should you apply? Great question. Unfortunately, we do not have an exact answer, but growers and consultants can estimate that more N fertilizer would need to be applied if you lost the flood after the first week compared to a flood that was lost after the second week.

We should also consider revisiting this research with the newer, earlier maturing rice varieties and hybrids we grow today. I would expect to find that the N uptake efficiencies from these newer varieties and hybrids would be slightly higher.

as has been declining recently. For instance, in 2019, the entire state of Texas produced soybeans on only about 60,000 acres.

As you know, water is becoming increasingly expensive and scarce, so I encourage farmers to watch closely for levee leaks while capturing rainfall to save on flushes. It also makes sense that if farmers are charged for the water they actually use, they will use that water more efficiently compared to farmers who are charged a flat fee for main and ratoon crops.

Crop consultant Cliff Mock spoke to the Beaumont Center faculty this winter about water use in Brazoria County where he and his son, Wade, farm. In 2019, they used about 2.25 acre-feet of water for their main crop. This is simply amazing compared to the use of 4 to 6 acre-feet of water back when Texas rice was water-seeded. Cliff also opined that many Texas rice farmers already practice a form of alternate wetting drying because of difficult irrigation scheduling and efforts to reduce water use.

As always, I encourage you to scout for early season pests like chinch bug, fall armyworm and aphids. These early season pests can often be controlled by a timely flush or flood. Also, selected seed treatments can provide control. And please be on the lookout for the rice planthopper/delphacid. If you have suspicions or want more info, contact me at moway@aesrg.tamu.edu or 409-239-4265.

Finally, I want to give a big shout out to the Mississippi folks who put on a great Rice Technical Working Group meeting in Orange Beach, Alabama, in February!

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