Colusa

Richvale: Monday, 28 January, 8:00 am - 12:00, Evangelical Church, 5219 Church St.

Several field experiments were conducted to evaluate the performance of pre-emergence herbicides, herbicide rates, and tankmix combinations at different locations in the Central Valley of California and to compare the efficacy of burndown herbicides in mixture with different pre-emergence herbicides...

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.

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).

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.

Harvest is starting to pick up again, and the UC Rice Project is starting to harvest the statewide variety trials. The trials are conducted in collboration with the breeders at the Rice Experiment Station (RES).

Lower limit 55 F, upper limit 100 F May 1 to August 1 Nicolaus 2009 1513 2010 1335 2011 1278 Durham 2009 1469 2010 1350 2011 1236 Colusa 2009 1600 2010 1413 2011 1344 To date 2011 is about 4-6 days behind 2010 and about 10-12 days behind 2009, depending the average number of degree units accumulated...

Here's the beginning of the 2011 rice season in three graphs*: Degree day (DD) accumulation over the developmental threshold of 55 oF (starting May 1st) during early May in 2011 was similar to 2008 and 2009.

The last couple of weeks we had some unusually cold weather. Some days, daytime temperature was 20 degrees below the average for this time of the year. The graph below compares average maximum daily temperatures with actual 2011 maximum daily temperatures during April and May in Colusa County.

The next time you enjoy a bowl of steamed rice, thank the California rice industry. And a University of California Cooperative Extension Team.