2024 Rice Field Day

Dr. Nick Bateman – Associate Professor, Extension Entomologist

Gage Maris – M.S. Student

The Extension Entomology Team, based at the Rice Research and Extension Center, works on improving integrated pest management in rice with respect to insects. Currently, we are working towards a new threshold using a sweep net for rice water weevils, defining defoliation thresholds in both pure-line and hybrid rice, best management practices for pyrethroid resistant rice stink bug, evaluating many current and new insecticides. On a yearly basis we evaluate the economic benefits of insecticide seed treatments and insecticide seed treatment combinations, foliar insecticides for rice water weevil, rice stink bug, and many occasional pest (fall armyworm, chinch bugs, etc.). One of the newer projects that our team has started is in conjunction with the Rice Pathology Team to evaluate insect and disease interactions, in particular the correlation between rice stink bug feeding, pecky rice, and disease presence. Additionally, we work with industry partners to evaluate new products and determine their fit and economic value to stakeholders.

Yulin Jia and Adam Fuller – Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center

Harry K. Dupree Stuttgart National Aquaculture Research Center, USDA – Agricultural Research Service

Rice-fish research is being jointly conducted by USDA-ARS scientists at the Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center (DBNRRC) and the Harry K. Dupree Stuttgart National Aquaculture Research Center (SNARC) in Stuttgart, Arkansas. The objective is to develop a new production system where rice yield can be enhanced with wastes from the fish, and weeds and insects are reduced as the fish feed on them. We hypothesize that soil microbe populations will also be modified in a manner that reduces emissions of greenhouse gases. The first year resulted in a 7.2-fold weight gain of surviving fish and significantly more kernels per panicle for rice produced along with fish. This year, koi carp at 200-400 grams each (110 of each bay) were released into rice paddies on June 18, 2024, and emissions of greenhouse gases and soil microbes at different growth stages are being measured.

Jason Norsworthy and Bob Scott

Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences

University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture

The Weed Science Team conducts a variety of weed control research at the Rice Research and Extension Center. This includes work on red rice control, weed resistance, resistance management and the adoption of best management practices. New herbicide chemistry is evaluated in collaboration with industry partners prior to herbicide registration to better provide growers with accurate recommendations upon product release/registration. Additionally, we work with industry partners to evaluate existing and new products to determine their fit and economic value to stakeholders as well as potential new uses.

Dr. Jarrod Hardke – Professor, Rice Extension Agronomist

Tanner Smith – M.S. Student

The Rice Agronomy Team is responsible for the development of production recommendations for rice in Arkansas. The Team’s efforts focus on rice cultivar performance via the Arkansas Rice Performance Trials, new variety development via the Arkansas Rice Variety Advancement Trials, agronomic and cultural practices including seeding rate and plant development, fertility management including nitrogen rates and timing, and integrated pest management practices including seed treatments and cultivar tolerance. The Team also maintains the DD50 Rice Management Program and supports the Rice Research Verification Program. These applied research efforts provide research-based information to develop and improve rice production recommendations and support publications such as the Arkansas Rice Production Handbook, the Arkansas Rice Management Guide, Arkansas Rice Advisor, and the DD50 Program. Team members include Donna Frizzell, Eddie Castaneda, Tara Clayton, Hannah Garrison, Tanner Smith, and Ralph Mazzanti.

Dr. Jeremy Edwards – Research Scientist, USDA-ARS

Dr. Shannon Pinson – Research Scientist, USDA-ARS

Dr. Jai Rohila – Research Scientist, USDA-ARS

Dr. Trevis Huggins – Research Scientist, USDA-ARS

Research at the USDA-ARS Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center (DBNRRC) is focused on evaluating diverse germplasm to discover new resources and genes for increased resistance and improved yield potential. This year there are six different experiments on display. 1) The low inventory rejuvenation (LIR) bay contains diverse accessions from the National Small Grains Collection (NSGC). The accessions in NSGC are a source of novel genes that can be mined and used for rice improvement. The accessions are grown to replenish seed inventories and characterized phenotypically and genotypically with 24 genetic markers. 2) Medium grain rice improvement for yield and disease resistance is a special focus for this year. The blast resistance genes Pi-ta and Ptr from Katy were backcrossed into Calrose quality medium grain rice variety M-202. 3) Four mapping populations are being developed from crosses of four stress-tolerant Aus Diversity Panel 1 (ADP1) accessions with a public U.S. variety. 4) Two advanced generation mapping populations were developed from a cross between a drought tolerant accession and U.S. variety and from a heat tolerant accession and U.S. variety and 5) the California variety M-202 was identified as salt tolerant at the seedling stage; ARS is identifying these genes and developing salt tolerant pre-breeding lines, and 6) ARS conducts a collaborative project with its government counterpart in Japan, known as the National Agriculture Research Organization (NARO). The collaborative study is investigating how rice plants and soil microbes are affected by dry downs during the vegetative phase of rice growth (alternate wetting and drying) with the goal of simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions, conserving water, and preserving grain milling and processing quality as well as yield across different environments.

With the help of Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board funding, ARS is collaborating with University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture rice breeders on multiple projects including evaluating a panel of 100 advanced breeding lines for deficit irrigation stress tolerance, genomic prediction and field blast survey to accelerate breeding.

Dr. Jason Davis – Assistant Professor, Remote Sensing and Pesticide Application Specialist

Dr. Jason Davis is an assistant professor and extension specialist and leads the Remote Sensing and Pesticide Application (RSPA) program with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The RSPA program provides state-wide educational and technical assistance to county extension agents, producers, and applicators on application equipment selection, calibration, and drift mitigation in row-crop, pasture, turf, and specialty crop production systems. Additionally, the RSPA program assists with the adoption, use, and development of Remote Sensing and GNSS technology, GIS applications, and precision agriculture equipment across these production systems.

Melissa Jia and Aaron Jackson – Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center, USDA-ARS

Scientists at the USDA-ARS Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center in Stuttgart, AR assist U.S. rice breeders in developing improved rice varieties by identifying germplasm with desired traits and genes. ARS scientists molecularly tag these newly discovered genes to enable marker-assisted breeding, then transfer the genes into locally adapted genetic backgrounds (pre-breeding germplasm) for use as breeding parents to develop improved rice varieties that will enhance commercial rice production in the United States.

Georgia Eizenga – Research Scientist, USDA-ARS

The USDA-ARS, through its National Small Grains Collection (NSGC), maintains a collection of approximately 19,000 rice varieties acquired over the past 120 years from approximately 113 countries around the world. While these collected rice accessions are generally not well adapted for growth in the U.S., they may possess useful traits and genes that were lost during the processes of rice domestication and eventual development of U.S. rice varieties. By screening these varieties, scientists at the USDA-ARS Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center, Stuttgart, AR have identified diverse rice accessions containing genes valuable to the U.S. rice industry – including genes for resistance to heat, cold, and drought stress, novel disease resistance genes, and genes for enhanced grain nutritional value and market value.