The rice season has started. If you drive around the valley you will see tractors working the ground, fields being flooded and airplanes flying seed. The UC Rice Project staked its first variety trial of the season today. It was the Glenn County variety trial. This trial has 104 10x20 feet plots.
By Randall G Mutters, Christopher A Greer, Luis A Espino
Every year variety trials are established throughout Californias rice production areas. The trials are a cooperative effort between UCCE and the Rice Experiment Station (RES).
Kent McKenzie, Rice Experiment Station (RES) Director, has announced that foundation rice seed produced in 2011 has been cleaned and sampled for germination and purity evaluations. The price of foundation seed will be $40.00 per cwt in 2012.
During 2010 and 2011, the distribution of rice blast in California expanded considerably. The disease was found in areas where it typically had not been a problem in the past. Yolo County is one of these areas.
