Arkansas Rice update 5-27-22

by Jarrod Hardke, Rice Extension Agronomist - May 27, 2022

Arkansas Rice Update 2022-10

May 27, 2022

Jarrod Hardke, Scott Stiles, and Trent Roberts

“Loose is fast and on the edge of out of control.”

Warp Speed, Mr. Sulu

Jarrod Hardke

Survey says – 90% planted.  Given the rain events last Saturday and then again Tuesday/Wednesday, we more or less jumped to 100% planted without dropping a seed.  Of course, there will still be some fields planted in June, but the shouting is essentially over.

Now we move our focus to the serious business of taking rice to flood (or irrigation for row rice).  Any rice that emerged by around the first of May (maybe 40% of acres) is either past the final recommended date for preflood N or is approaching it this coming week.  Conditions look dry with warm, moderate temperatures – a great week to get things done!  A lot of info on nitrogen management included in this week’s update.

Along with trying to get fertilizer out, there are definitely some weed issues to clean up as fields were needing to be sprayed prior to rain this week but wind wouldn’t allow it.  Use caution on young rice when trying to clean up some of these messes – for burner type herbicides I like to see 2 full leaves on rice before burning it back.  Depending on the mess though, some tough choices will have to be made.

Let us know if we can help.

If you still don't have a copy - download the 2022 Rice Management Guide or pick one up at your local county Extension office.

Fig. 1.  NOAA 7-day precipitation forecast.

Fig. 2.  Arkansas Rice Planting Progress, 2010-2022.

Flooded Rice Nitrogen Rate Recommendations

Jarrod Hardke and Trent Roberts

The Nitrogen Rate Calculator (https://riceadvisor.uada.edu/nrate/) is available to help get immediate N rate recommendations for most available cultivars.  The calculator is built to account for N rate adjustments based on cultivar, soil texture (soil type), and previous crop.  These are base recommendations and actual N rate used should be adjusted based on experience and additional tools such as N-STaR soil sampling and GreenSeeker in-season readings.

General comments on flooded rice N recommendations:

For hybrids, we emphasize a two-way split using a preflood application and a late boot application.  Some continue to try and move the late boot application up into more of a midseason timing – if you’re doing this and think you’re getting a noticeable response, then I don’t think your preflood N rate is high enough.  As with most rice cultivars the preflood N is responsible for most of the yield potential.  Significant yield responses or yield increases >4 weeks post-flood often indicate that the preflood N rates were inadequate or that there was significant N loss leading to low N uptake efficiency.

For varieties, we’re still trying to move toward more of an optimum single preflood (SPF) approach where we eliminate the midseason N application.  This will allow us to maximize yield while saving on N input via a reduction in the season total N rate.  To successfully utilize the SPF approach for varieties, we need to treat urea with NBPT, be able to flood timely (around a week’s time), and keep the field flooded/saturated for as close to 3 weeks following the initial flood event as possible.  Using multiple inlet rice irrigation (MIRI; polypipe) can help tremendously with this, in addition to the water and pumping cost savings that go along with using MIRI.

If an SPF approach does not fit your farm or fields, then using a preflood followed by midseason approach is still good.  Just remember that we’re no longer as concerned about the exact growth stage for the midseason timing – instead, we want to focus on being at least 4 weeks since the preflood N was incorporated AND be past green ring (into reproductive growth).  The window for successful midseason N application is very wide, the worst we can do is apply midseason too early before all the preflood N has been taken up by the rice plant and not get the full benefit of the midseason N application.

Fig. 3.  Screenshot of N Rate Calculator.

Table 1.  2022 Recommended Nitrogen Rates & Distribution for Rice Cultivars in Arkansas*.

* Base recommendations for rice following soybean on a silt loam soil, adjust as needed for changes in soil texture (soil type) and crop rotation.

† SPF = single preflood; PF = preflood; MS = midseason.

See 2022 Rice Management Guide for more details.

Furrow-Irrigated Rice Nitrogen Recommendations

Jarrod Hardke and Trent Roberts

I think most are getting more comfortable with N management in furrow-irrigated rice (FIR; row rice), but now is a good time to review current recommendations.  We do advocate that there are a few strategies available that can help you achieve maximum productivity.  If you see “preflood” rate mentioned, we mean the rate you would normally apply prior to flood if you were flooding the field.    The recommendations below are also based on rice in soybean rotation.

Hybrids

Work from base preflood rate of 120 lb N/acre on silt loams and 150 lb N/acre on clays.  Note that these strategies focus on early-season N management.  We still recommend 30 lb N/acre (65 lb urea/acre) at late boot in addition to the early season N strategies for hybrids described below.

Silt loam option 1:  starting at the 5-leaf stage, make 3 applications of 46 lb N/acre (100 lb urea/acre) spaced 7-10 days apart.

• Example: Day 0 – 46 lb N/acre, Day 7 – 46 lb N/acre, Day 14 – 46 lb N/acre

Silt loam option 2:  Apply half the recommended preflood N rate at the 5-leaf stage, followed by 2 additional applications of one quarter of the preflood N rate spaced 7-10 days apart.

• Example: Day 0 – 60 lb N/acre, Day 7 – 30 lb N/acre, Day 14 – 30 lb N/acre

Silt loam option 3:  An excessive preflood N rate (150% of standard) has produced optimal yields, but greater risk involved than split methods.

Clay soil option 1:  Apply half the recommended preflood N rate at the 5-leaf stage, followed by half 10-14 days later, followed by an additional 46 lb N/acre (100 lb urea/acre) 7 days after the 2^nd application.

• Example: Day 0 – 75 lb N/acre, Day 10-14 – 75 lb N/acre, Day 21 – 46 lb N/acre

Clay soil option 2:  starting at the 5-leaf stage, make 4 applications of 46 lb N/acre (100 lb urea/acre) spaced 7-10 days apart.

• Example: Day 0 – 46 lb N/acre, Day 7 – 46 lb N/acre, Day 14 – 46 lb N/acre, Day 21 – 46 lb N/acre

Varieties

For pureline varieties, at this time it is recommended to follow the approach of 4 applications of 46 lb N/acre (100 lb urea/acre) spaced 7-10 days apart beginning at the 5-leaf stage.  Some varieties with lower than standard preflood N rate recommendations may be able to perform with only 3 applications but will need to be monitored closely.  The 4^th application (sometimes the 3^rd) coincides with the midseason timing so there is not a need for an additional midseason application after your 4 applications are complete.

Rice Market Update

Scott Stiles

September rice futures are finishing the week strong with a 20-cent gain Thursday and further gains in early trading Friday.  Following Thursday’s close at $17.50/cwt., fall delivery bids at mills around eastern Arkansas were in the $7.74 to $7.79/bu. range.  Fall bids at driers were $7.61 to $7.67/bu.  Recall in the May WASDE, USDA’s initial season average price forecast for long-grain was $15.50/cwt. or $6.98 per bushel.

From a chart perspective, the September contract remains in an uptrend with key support at the May 10^th low of $16.77 and resistance at the recent contract high of $18.19 ½.  Should the current uptrend break down, initial support could be found along the 20-day moving average (red line) at $17.29.

Fig. 4.  CME Rough Rice Futures, September 2022.

There wasn’t a lot to report in this week’s Export Sales.  It did feature a 15,200 ton long-grain milled sale to Haiti.  U.S. milled sales to Haiti are currently running 10% ahead of last year.  Long-grain rough rice sales continue to lag with U.S. sales to Mexico down 18% from a year ago.

Prior to this week, planting was advancing rapidly and providing modest pressure to rice prices.  After a historically slow start, the U.S. rice crop is now 91% planted, just ahead of the five-year average pace.  As of last Sunday, planting progress in Arkansas and Mississippi had moved ahead of their respective 5-year averages.  Missouri continued to trail the average pace with 80 percent of rice acres planted as of May 22^nd.  Given the rainfall this week, expect little change in these numbers in next Tuesday’s Crop Progress report.  All USDA reporting will be delayed by one day next week due to the Memorial Day holiday.

Table 2.  U.S. Rice Planting Progress, 2022.

 Source:  USDA-NASS.

For Arkansas, May 25^th was the crop insurance final planting date for rice.  The late planting period ends June 9^th.  The 2022 crop insurance “projected price” for long-grain, which was determined from mid-January to mid-February, is $14.90/cwt.  New crop rice futures are now close to $3/cwt above that price level.  This may provide an incentive to plant rice past the optimal window instead of taking a prevented planting payment.  Consult with crop insurance and agronomic experts on late planting decisions.  

Futures markets will be closed on Monday for Memorial Day. Thank you to all our military veterans and service members for their service.

DD50 Rice Management Program is Live

The DD50 Rice Management Program is live and ready for fields to be enrolled for the 2022 season.  All log-in and producer information has been retained from the 2021 season, so if you used the program last year you can log in just as you did last year.  Log in and enroll fields here:  https://dd50.uada.edu.

Use the Arkansas Rice Advisor Internet App!

The Arkansas Rice Advisor site https://riceadvisor.uada.edu functions like an app on your mobile device.  There you can readily access the DD50 program, rice seeding rate calculator, drill calibration, fertilizer and N rate calculators, publications, and more.

Additional Information

Arkansas Rice Updates are published periodically to provide timely information and recommendations for rice production in Arkansas.  If you would like to be added to this email list, please send your request to rice@uada.edu.

This information will also be posted to the Arkansas Row Crops blog (http://www.arkansas-crops.com/) where additional information from Extension specialists can be found.

More information on rice production, including access to all publications and reports, can be found at http://www.uaex.uada.edu/rice.

Acknowledgements

We sincerely appreciate the support for this publication provided by the rice farmers of Arkansas and administered by the Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board.

The authors greatly appreciate the feedback and contributions of all growers, county agents, consultants, and rice industry stakeholders.