South Louisiana and Texas
A lot of rice in my area has been planted for six to seven weeks. Some of the rice is borderline on being tall enough to flood, but it is tillering and needs fertilizer and water. With warmer temperatures, herbicide and fertilizer applications are going out this week in front of flood establishment.
Rice that has been recently flooded is really beginning to grow off nicely. Stands are very good, and in a week or so our rice crop is going to look much better.
Most of the calls I have been getting lately have been about the Provisia Rice System. We are seeing some crop response on PVL01 from the first application of Provisia herbicide. Still, I have no major concerns from any of the fields I’ve looked at.
Based on the cool temps we’ve had, I’ve been pleasantly surprised that we’ve had no more crop response to the Provisia herbicide than what we’ve observed. I’ve looked at fields that were sprayed with 10-15 ounces of Provisia per acre, and the “weedy rice” control has been excellent in all the fields. Crop response with the first application of Provisia is to be expected. Be patient, as the response symptoms will fade as growing conditions improve.
Michael Fruge, District Field
North Louisiana and Mississippi
After two months of no more than three consecutive days in the field in most places, we are finally running wide open. There has been a significant amount of rice planted in my territory in the last few days, and it looks like we’ll be able continue this pace at least through the end of the week. Planting conditions have improved greatly, and we’re seeing the results.
The earliest planted rice is finally starting to show some progression, and it will continue to get better. We’re on the verge of having some weed control issues, so it will be important to take advantage of the opportunity we have to get caught up with spraying.
One thing to watch out for on the earliest planted rice, as we hopefully progress to flooding in the month of May, is the possibility of reduced efficacy where insecticide seed treatments have been used. Clothianidin and thiamethoxam are the two most common active ingredients for rice water weevil control in the upper Midsouth.
These two products can lose efficacy if the time between planting and flooding is abnormally long. Once the field is flooded, it will be critical to observe for adult weevils and leaf scarring. If these are present, a pyrethroid application may be warranted. If there is any way I can assist you, please don’t hesitate to call.
Tim Jett District Field Representative
Arkansas Grand Prairie
Things have really progressed on the Grand Prairie since our last report. A big push was made two weeks ago, and a lot of rice acres were planted here. Last week was cool and wet, but this week is shaping up to be another big week in regards to making planting progress. I’ve had some calls and have been in a few of the earlier-planted fields. The rice is growing pretty slow with the cooler temps we’ve had, but we have warmer weather now and that is going to help.
Overall, the situation here is good, and farmers are just trying to finish getting this crop in the ground.
Garrett Williams, District Field Representative
Northeast Arkansas
Planting here in Northeast Arkansas had been slowed drastically due to the substantial rainfall we have had in the last 7 to 10 days. Many farmers in the area were knocked out of their fields for the past week due to moisture.
With the weather forecast we have this current week, however, I expect farmers to get in the left lane and hammer down over the next few days to try and wrap up the 2018 rice planting season. The best estimate I have is that we are currently 80 percent to 85 percent planted to this point. If we could miss the rain chances this week, it will be full-tilt boogie around here and should allow us to finish completely.
The rain this past week caused a short break for most of the region, with rain totals hovering around 1 to 1.5 inches of rain. Most farmers are back in the field by now and should get a solid three or four days of planting.
The short-range forecast has temperatures in the mid- to upper 70s, which should allow for most of the rice that is pipped but not emerged to come on out of the ground.
Most of the earlier-planted rice has emerged and is looking very good. The grass pressure is picking up, and many farmers are starting to apply herbicides to their fields. The second round of planting is beginning to sprout, and some fields are starting to emerge. As we have entered into May planting, we are proud to offer varieties CL153, CL172, and CL163 that have been more stable in yields despite the adverse conditions that can occur during the late reproductive stage
Chase Kagen, District Field Representative
Northeast Arkansas and Missouri Bootheel
Bright sunshine and warmer weather allowed fields to dry out fast last weekend. A few areas in northern Arkansas and Missouri, where less rainfall was received, allowed for a little planting to take place. The weather also has really helped with crop growth, as many of the early-planted fields have now emerged.
According to NASS we are currently 60 percent planted in Arkansas and 50 percent planted in Missouri. Since Monday of this week, it has been very busy, and by the week’s end, I estimate we should have the majority of the rice crop in the ground. If we miss the rain chances at the end of the week we should be able to get close to finishing. We were also able to get a few final strip trials planted this week.
Jason Satterfield, District Field
