CALIFORNIA
Field Crops A SPECIAL GROWERS’ REPORT OF AG ALERT ®
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Researchers used a small-scale combine like the one shown here to harvest rice plots at the California Rice Experiment Station near Biggs. The rice was planted with a Mid-South drill-seeded system.
Study tests a new rice planting system for California By Vicky Boyd
tadpole shrimp damage, Linquist said. The two aquatic pests feed on newly germinated rice in flooded fields, uprooting the plants and frequently killing them. Although the results of what Linquist described as a pilot study at the Rice Experiment Station near Biggs this season are promising, he said some aspects, including seeding rates, herbicide programs and fertility, need refinement. Even so, he said, growers should view a no-till drill-seeded system as a long-term com- mitment because practices from one season, such as rutting during harvest, may affect fields the following year. Linquist credited Chris Isbell, part of a multigenerational rice farm near England, Arkansas, for sharing his no-till and drill-seeding practices. For years, the Isbells have been no-tilling fields when possible. “We like to no-till everything we can, but sometimes you can’t,” Isbell said. “If you cut it up in the fall, you have to do a lot of tillage in the spring.” They burn their fields after harvest to reduce organic matter, a practice that was phased out in California in the early 2000s. They then flood for waterfowl and to aid crop decom- position during the winter. After draining fields in the spring, they chemically burn down weeds that have grown, and then they’re ready to plant.
University of California researchers are experimenting with a popular Mid-South drill-seeded rice system that plants seed directly into the ground. They are studying whether the method can work well in California rice fields. If successful, it could be a 180-degree turn from the state’s current planting practice of airplanes flying pre-germinated rice seed into already flooded fields. Combined with no-till, which eliminates cultivation, the drill-seeded system could potentially save up to 6 inches of water by forgoing flooding early in the season, said UC Cooperative Extension rice specialist Bruce Linquist, who leads the research. During an entire season, a rice crop’s consumptive water use—including water taken in and trans- pired by the plant—is about 3 acre-feet. “I think it’s maybe the only management practice in this cropping system that could really cut our water use,” Linquist said. “I think we can use a lot less water in a no-till drill-seeded system. “This certainly is a little bit of out-of-the-box stuff for here,” he added. “If people want to get into it, there will be some upfront investment for sure, and I don’t see it as a panacea as far as this is where everything should go.” No-till drill seeding also offers potentially lower land preparation costs, an earlier planting window, a chance to rotate herbicides, plus an avoidance of rice seed midge and
See RICE, Page 7
6 Ag Alert November 29, 2023
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