Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Rice DD50 Program Online and Ready!
The 2010 version of the Arkansas Rice DD50 Program is up and running. Five new varieties have been added to the program. for 2010. The program can be accessed through the county Extension office or online at: http://dd50.uaex.edu/dd50Logon.asp. In order to enroll, you need the variety name, the emergence date, and the number of acres. The program will predict the timing of approximately 27 different production practices. This allows growers and consultants to be more efficient in scouting the crop and more timely with treatments. On-time decisions can often be the difference between success and failure.
April 26 Rice Crop Condition
The weather this spring has allowed rice to be planted across most of the state at record pace. As of April 25, farmers had planted an estimated 81% of the rice acreage. This compares to only 53% last week and only 42% this time last year. It is also well ahead of the 5-year average of 53% for this week. The USDA estimates that 43% of the rice acreage has emerged. This compares to 10% last year at this time and and 19% for the 5-year average. We have more rice emerged this week than we had planted in 2009. We have 80% of the rice planted prior to April 25 and with another good week, we are likely to be 95% complete before the first of May. Our planting progress is 2 weeks ahead of the 5-year average and a month ahead of last year.
Getting the crop planted early is certainly good for production. However, with nearly a million acres planted in a 2-week window, harvest is certainly going to be interesting. We are set up for an excellent crop, assuming the summer and fall weather are not too unkind.
Average temperatures were near normal ranging from 3 degrees below normal at Booneville to 9 degrees above normal at West Memphis for the week ending April 25. Low temperatures ranged from 36 degrees at Calico Rock to a high of 88 degrees at West Memphis. Rainfall for the week ending April 25 ranged from a low of 0.3 inches at Brinkley to a high of 4.4 inches at Batesville. Overall, soil moisture supplies were 1% very short, 17% short, 67% adequate, and 15% surplus.
The USDA planting intentions report that was released at the end of March shows that rice acreage is expected to increase by 10% from 2009. The anticipated acreage of 1.631 million acres is the largest acreage since 2005 when we planted an estimated record 1.635 million acres. Medium grain rice for Arkansas is estimated at 200,000 acres, a decrease of 60,000 acres from 2009.
Getting the crop planted early is certainly good for production. However, with nearly a million acres planted in a 2-week window, harvest is certainly going to be interesting. We are set up for an excellent crop, assuming the summer and fall weather are not too unkind.
Average temperatures were near normal ranging from 3 degrees below normal at Booneville to 9 degrees above normal at West Memphis for the week ending April 25. Low temperatures ranged from 36 degrees at Calico Rock to a high of 88 degrees at West Memphis. Rainfall for the week ending April 25 ranged from a low of 0.3 inches at Brinkley to a high of 4.4 inches at Batesville. Overall, soil moisture supplies were 1% very short, 17% short, 67% adequate, and 15% surplus.
The USDA planting intentions report that was released at the end of March shows that rice acreage is expected to increase by 10% from 2009. The anticipated acreage of 1.631 million acres is the largest acreage since 2005 when we planted an estimated record 1.635 million acres. Medium grain rice for Arkansas is estimated at 200,000 acres, a decrease of 60,000 acres from 2009.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Roy J - New Rice Variety Released in 2010
The University of Arkansas released a new variety this winter that should provide growers a new alternative to Wells that have improved yield potential and improved straw strength. Based on various trials, the yield potential of Roy J appears to be substantially better than Wells and Francis. The overall disease reaction is similar to Wells. It is susceptible to rice blast but appears to be slightly better than Wells. It is about 43 inches tall but has the strongest straw strength of any variety that tall I have every seen. In three years of testing, I can count on one hand how many plots have lodged. Roy J was distributed as Foundation seed this spring. Registered seed should be available for purchase in 2011.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Calculating Rice Seeding Rates
After variety selection and preplant fertilizer, the next decision that should be made is seeding rate. The recommended seeding rate for drill-seeding most varieties is 30 seeds per square foot to achieve a stand of 15 to 20 plants per square foot. Since the seed size differs among varieties, the actual seeding rate in pounds per acre varies by variety. An Extension publication, “RICESEED” (Rice Information Sheet No. 163), is available to help calculate seeding rates for specific varieties and is also available in a computer program available on the Cooperative Extension Service website.
In addition to calculating seeding rates for specific varieties, these resources also assist in making adjustments for soil types, planting dates, planting systems, seedbed condition, etc. The computer version can be found at: http://riceseed.uaex.edu.
The program can also assist in calibrating drills by giving the number of seed required per row foot, depending on row spacing, to achieve a given seeding rate. For example, seeding rates of 30 seeds per square foot translates to 73 lbs/acre for Wells and a drill on 7.5 inch spacing should plant 19 seeds per row foot.
In addition to calculating seeding rates for specific varieties, these resources also assist in making adjustments for soil types, planting dates, planting systems, seedbed condition, etc. The computer version can be found at: http://riceseed.uaex.edu.
The program can also assist in calibrating drills by giving the number of seed required per row foot, depending on row spacing, to achieve a given seeding rate. For example, seeding rates of 30 seeds per square foot translates to 73 lbs/acre for Wells and a drill on 7.5 inch spacing should plant 19 seeds per row foot.
Optimum Rice Planting Window Still Open
Our recommended seeding dates for Arkansas begin as early as March 25 for South Arkansas and April 1 for Central and North Arkansas. The optimum planting date window is April 1 to May 20 for South Arkansas and April 10 to May 10 for North Arkansas. We have been fortunate to get a lot of rice planted early, in contrast to the last two years. With over half of the crop planted before April 20, farmers have positioned themselves for a good crop.
The remaining rice to be planted is likely to be spread over the next 6 weeks for various reasons. The optimum window is still open for most varities and will remain until about May 10 to May 20. After the calendar moves past that date, the yield potential declines dramatically. By the time rice planting is completed in June, the yield potential may have been reduced by as much as 30-40%.
The remaining rice to be planted is likely to be spread over the next 6 weeks for various reasons. The optimum window is still open for most varities and will remain until about May 10 to May 20. After the calendar moves past that date, the yield potential declines dramatically. By the time rice planting is completed in June, the yield potential may have been reduced by as much as 30-40%.
April 20 Arkansas Rice Situation
The weather this spring has allowed rice to be planted across most of the state. As of April 19, farmers had planted an estimated 53% of the rice acreage. This compares to only 19% last week and only 23% this time last year. It is also well ahead of the 5-year average of 30% for this week. The USDA estimates that 16% of the rice acreage has emerged. This compares to 3% last year at this time and and 7% for the 5-year average. Rice farmers in Arkansas demonstrated just how much rice they can plant in week when the weather cooperates. A third of the rice acres (~500,000 acres) was planted last week.
Average temperatures were 1 to 11 degrees above normal for the week ending April 19. Rainfall for the week ending April 19 ranged from a low of none at several locations to a high of 0.5 inches at Mena. Overall, soil moisture supplies were 1% very short, 26% short, 67% adequate, and 6% surplus.
The USDA planting intentions report that was released at the end of March shows that rice acreage is expected to increase by 10% from 2009. The anticipated acreage of 1.631 million acres is the largest acreage since 2005 when we planted an estimated record 1.635 million acres. Medium grain rice for Arkansas is estimated at 200,000 acres, a decrease of 60,000 acres from 2009.
Average temperatures were 1 to 11 degrees above normal for the week ending April 19. Rainfall for the week ending April 19 ranged from a low of none at several locations to a high of 0.5 inches at Mena. Overall, soil moisture supplies were 1% very short, 26% short, 67% adequate, and 6% surplus.
The USDA planting intentions report that was released at the end of March shows that rice acreage is expected to increase by 10% from 2009. The anticipated acreage of 1.631 million acres is the largest acreage since 2005 when we planted an estimated record 1.635 million acres. Medium grain rice for Arkansas is estimated at 200,000 acres, a decrease of 60,000 acres from 2009.
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