UC Rice Blog

Blanking (floret sterility) can occur during meiosis (pollen formation) when nighttime temperatures drop below 58 oF. Blanking can cause reduced yields. The cooler it is and the more nights during this period with low temperatures have an increasingly negative effect.  You can see in Figure 1, where in…

In 2024 we had eight variety trial locations. Four locations were in what we refer to as warmer locations (north of Hwy 20) and four in the cooler locations (south of Hwy 20 and into the Sacramento Delta region). These trails are funded by the Rice Research Board and fulfill at least two purposes. First,…

I've been looking at some fields this week and I'm seeing high worm populations. These are fields where armyworms have been a problem in the past. I would say this year the numbers I am seeing are much higher than the last three years. In one field in particular, defoliation is close to threshold (25%). …

In the past few years there has been a steady increase in the incidence of bakanae in the field. Fortunately, the levels of infection we have seen have not resulted in yield reductions. However, talking to those that worked on developing the bleach treatment after bakanae was identified in California, there…

When it comes to early season seedling injury, the damages wrought by rice seed midge and tadpole shrimp can be difficult to differentiate. Both are invertebrate pests that feed on young rice seeds and inhibit or terminate rice growth, and both can leave a field devoid of plants. However, taking a closer…