Rice Research & Extension Center Field Day

Camila Nicolli – Associate Professor, Extension Entomologist, UADA

Dr. Camila Nicolli serves as an Assistant Professor and Extension Plant Pathologist with UADA, contributing her expertise to the Rice Crop Care program at the Rice Research & Extension Center. This comprehensive Plant Pathology research and extension program is dedicated to advancing agricultural practices not only for rice but also for corn. Dr. Nicolli is involved in several significant projects funded by the Rice Arkansas Research and Promotion Board. Her work includes monitoring fungicide resistance in rice sheath blight to enhance management strategies and reduce yield losses, integrating host resistance with fungicides to control Cercospora in rice, and assessing the prevalence and stability of host resistance to rice blast races in Arkansas. Additionally, Dr. Nicolli and her team provide crucial support to the Rice Breeding Tech program by screening rice diseases across various rice varieties, ensuring the development of robust and disease-resistant strains. The research team also conducts trials to evaluate various disease management strategies, including assessing the effectiveness of fungicides and bio-products. Their efforts help identify promising disease management strategies for combating sheath blight, blast, Cercopora and false smut in rice, addressing substantial challenges faced by regional growers. Furthermore, they collaborate with industry partners to conduct trials for testing essential fungicides for controlling diseases like sheath blight in rice. Through these trials, the Plant Pathology program plays a vital role in identifying and recommending the most suitable fungicides to combat emerging and existing fungal diseases, safeguarding crop yields, and ensuring food security.

Dr. Yulin Jia – Research Leader, USDA-ARS

Dr. Trevis Huggins – Research Scientist, USDA-ARS

Dr. Griffiths G. Atungulu – Professor, Food Science, UADA

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 US variety. 4) Two advanced generation mapping populations were developed from a cross between a drought tolerant accession and US variety and from a heat tolerant accession and US 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 UADA 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. Jai Rohila – Research Scientist, USDA-REE-ARS

Dr. Jeremy Edwards – Research Scientist, USDA-ARS

Dr. Trevis Huggins – Research Scientist, USDA-ARS

Dr. Yulin Jia – Research Leader, USDA-ARS

The USDA ARS DB NRRC has a comprehensive abiotic stress tolerance program involving rice breeders from the University of Arkansas. The current focus is on developing improved germplasm of long-grain rice for reduced irrigation and salt tolerance that can be used in rice breeding programs. This year two experiments are on display.  1) Drought and heat tolerant advanced pre-breeding lines: Two advanced generation mapping populations, which were developed from a cross between (a) drought tolerant accession from the USDA-Aus Diversity panel and a US variety, and (b) a heat tolerant accession from the USDA-Aus Diversity panel and a US variety. The primary objective is to identify DNA markers for stress-tolerant genes and release stress tolerant lines for use in rice breeding programs.  2) Salt tolerant pre-breeding lines: Previously, ARS identified a California variety, M-202 as salt tolerant at the seedling stage during greenhouse screening experiments. This selection was confirmed by field and greenhouse experiments conducted in South Carolina using tidal sea water. ARS is identifying genes involved in salt tolerance and developing salt tolerant pre-breeding lines. The development of stress tolerant DNA markers and release of stress tolerant pre-breeding lines strengthen the US public rice breeding programs, improves water usage, and increases profitability for rice growers and the US rice industry.

Dr. Jarrod Hardke – Professor, Rice Research and Extension Center, UADA

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, Jackson McMinn, Mary Jane Lytle, Tanner Smith, and Ralph Mazzanti.

Dr. Jason Norsworthy – Distinguished Professor, Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences, UADA

Dr. Bob Scott – Professor, Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences, UADA

The Weed Science Team is responsible for developing weed management recommendations and solutions for the Arkansas rice farmer. Current efforts focus on understanding the fit of new herbicides in rice, establishing crop tolerance to these herbicides, and gaining a thorough understanding of the weed spectrum controlled under a range of rice-growing conditions.  Research is conducted at multiple sites across the state, with a predominant focus on barnyard grass in many of these trials.  The team utilizes its research sites across the state to quickly implement studies as new questions from growers arise each year.  Research from these trials is instrumental in providing yearly updates for the rice section in the MP44 (Recommended Chemicals for Weed and Brush Control). Dr. Tom Barber also makes significant contributions to the team.

Dr. Christopher Henry – Rice Research and Extension Center, UADA

Without irrigation, agriculture in the third largest irrigated state would be very different.  The irrigation team explores the interaction of irrigation with agronomic production practices with the main focus on improving irrigation efficiency and management.  The team manages and conducts research and delivers Extension programming on all irrigated crops.  The team also adapts existing technology such as soil moisture sensors, computerized hole selection and surge irrigation to Arkansas crops.  In addition, the team develops new technology for furrow and flood (surface) irrigation.  Technology such as the pit-less pump for furrow irrigated rice is an example of how new irrigation technology is now reaching the farm.  The team hosts the Arkansas Most Crop per Drop irrigation contest, conducts irrigation schools, maintains the Rice Irrigation mobile app for designing multiple inlet rice irrigation, and maintains the Arkansas Soil Sensor (Watermark) calculator mobile app to aid in decision making of sensor readings in corn, soybeans, and furrow irrigated rice. Team members include Russ Parker, Kris Keller, Shruti Vaman, Nathan Blankenship, Harper Summers, Brett Gordon, M. Ismanov, and Dorsa Darikendeh.

Georgia Eizenga – Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center, USDA-ARS

The USDA ARS, through its National Small Grains Collection (NSGC), maintains a collection of approximately 19,000 rice varieties (or accessions) acquired over the past 120 years from approximately 112 countries around the world.  While these diverse rice accessions are generally not well adapted for growth in the USA, they may possess traits and genes that were lost during the process of selecting and breeding rice varieties adapted to the USA.  By screening these accessions for agronomically important traits, scientists at the USDA-ARS Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center, Stuttgart, Arkansas, are identifying accessions containing genes valuable to the US rice industry – including novel disease resistance genes, genes for resistance to heat, cold, and drought stress, and genes for enhanced grain nutritional value and market value.