AgFax Rice - Louisiana

By AgFax.com, AgFax Media LLC

OVERVIEW  

Much of the Midsouth crop will have gone to flood by the time our next issue goes out. That's always a relief for everyone involved.

Compared to last year, grass and weed control have been a bigger challenge in places. Weather accounts for most of the factors involved.

Post-flood herbicide injury is turning up in some Arkansas rice. This isn't related to drift. 

Rice water weevil numbers appear to be heavy in parts of Arkansas.

LOUISIANA CROP REPORTS

Richard Griffing, Griffing Consulting, LLC, Monterey, Louisiana:

"After this week, all of my rice will be at flood. We're at green ring on about 20%. With all this good sunlight, rice has been moving along really well. We do have a 40% to 80% chance of rain tomorrow (6/5). The amount in the last forecast I saw was 0.3 of an inch, and we wouldn't turn it down. We're watering corn hard and watering beans, too."

Dustin Harrell, Louisiana Rice Extension Specialist, LSU Rice Research Station, Crowley:

"Most of our rice in southwest Louisiana is at mid to late boot and it's moving along quite nicely. We've received just a handful of calls about leaf blast and only one on sheath blight. So, disease incidence is light (as of 6/7).

"We're getting close to that second shot of fungicide. I imagine we'll see a large percentage of our rice beginning to head next week. Mid-June is when we typically expect that, so the crop is about on time.

"In north Louisiana, people are starting to think about midseason applications. That rice looks good, as well. Really, the only problems anywhere have to do with drift – either drift onto the rice or drift moving off rice to soybeans."