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New Rice Varieties Get Good Reviews
MAMOU, LA.
The two new rice varieties released last year by the LSU AgCenter are getting good reviews so far in the marketplace for quality, according to Steve Linscombe, rice breeder and director of the LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station.
Linscombe told farmers and crop consultants at an Evangeline Parish rice and soybean field day on June 9 that the long-grain Clearfield variety CL153 has less chalk and better disease resistance than CL151, and rice mills like the quality. “Seven mills have looked at it, and all of them have said this would be package rice for them,” he said.
The medium-grain CL272 has better yield potential than any other long grain variety, even Jupiter, with good quality that is favored by Kellogg’s. “They have given us a very favorable response,” Linscombe said.
More CL272 will be sent to Kellogg’s this year for further testing.
Both varieties will be available for commercial production after this year of seed production.
Development of the herbicide-resistant rice technology Provisia is progressing, with lines that show good quality and yield potential. The lines will undergo a seed increase in 2017, with a launch of a variety in 2018, Linscombe said.
Provisia will provide an option for farmers to rid their fields of outcrossing of rice that cannot be controlled now. “We think having two different herbicide technologies will extend the life of both systems,” he said.
The field day was held at the Bieber farm near Mamou, and Linscombe said the location provided a good test location for developing new varieties. “It helps us make what we hope is a good decision on a new variety release.”
AgCenter rice breeder Adam Famoso talked about using new genetic marker technology to identify lines with desirable traits sooner in the breeding process.
AgCenter plant pathologist Don Groth said sheath blight and blast disease pressure have been light so far.
“We’re in a much better situation than we were in the past couple of years for the major diseases,” Groth said. But recent wet weather is setting up good conditions for diseases to thrive.
New fungicides could be available next year for fungicide-resistant sheath blight that is spreading across the state, he said.
AgCenter weed scientist Eric Webster is testing five new experimental herbicides this year.
A new herbicide, Loyant from Dow, appears to have good activity on grasses and broadleaf weeds, as well as aquatics. A field day for the new product will be held by Dow at the Rice Research Station South Farm on June 27, Webster said.
AgCenter rice specialist Dustin Harrell said farmers should be mindful of replacing phosphorous. A 60-barrel harvest removes 63 to 65 pounds of phosphorous per acre, more than the 60-pound application rate recommended by the AgCenter.
Harrell is testing gibberellic acid to get a yield increase in a second rice crop. Texas farmers have been using the growth regulator with good results, and a trial at the Rice Research Station showed a 2.5-barrel increase when the chemical was applied at the soft dough stage. “I was quite impressed with it,” he said.
AgCenter entomologist Mike Stout said insect pressure is heavy this year, especially for rice water weevils.
The South American rice miner has shown up in many areas after only isolated occurrences in past years. “This year by far, it’s been the most widespread,” Stout said.
The tips of rice leaves wither and look ragged after the insect larvae burrow into the plant, but the insects’ effect on yield may be negligible. “Basically the rice grows out of it,” he said.
AgCenter plant pathologist Trey Price said Asian soybean rust has been active on kudzu in the state.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if it showed up this year,” he said, adding that rust can be easily treated, but scouting is necessary.
AgCenter soybean specialist Ron Levy said farmers considering late soybean crops should consider using Group IV or Group III varieties. ∆
LSU AgCenter plant pathologist Don Groth, far right, talks about this year’s light disease
pressure on rice, although he warned that conditions are good for disease conditions.
 Farmers and crop consultants attending the Evangeline Parish rice and soybean field day on
June 8 at the Bieber farm near Mamou listen to Steve Linscombe, LSU AgCenter rice
breeder and director of the H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station.
Photos by Bruce Schultz
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