Arkansas Rice Update 6-30-23

by Jarrod Hardke, Rice Extension Agronomist - June 30, 2023

Arkansas Rice Update 2023-15

June 30, 2023

Jarrod Hardke

“Burn out the day, burn out the night…”

Changes Ahead

It’s been quite the warm week in Arkansas as was forecast.  Luckily, it looks as though we’re expected to get that all-important “around the 4^th of July” rain.  We missed on it last year, but this year we appear to be on a much smoother track so far.

We’re transitioning now into the mid- to late-season issues.  That’s not to say we have a lot of issues currently, just that the conversations are shifting.  We covered the importance of identifying diseases last week, and sure enough this week has had more questions about “is this brown spot, is this blast, etc.”  A number of the fields are brown spot – which means its perhaps time to do some tissue testing and ensure our potassium levels are adequate (please don’t spray a fungicide for brown spot).

But some others have been blast in northeast Arkansas.  Conditions are slightly conducive for blast right now because it’s so hot making it difficult to maintain adequate flood depth.  Next week, it could get worse as temperatures slack off with rains expected with some cloudy weather.  Only time will tell.  Rarely do we need to spray a fungicide for leaf blast – we usually need to save that money for preventing neck blast.

Sheath blight calls have been few, but I know there have been applications going out for it.  Remember, if it’s staying low in the canopy and not moving up and threatening upper leaves, take a wait and see approach.  Let’s try to outrun it for as long as we can.  But next week, like already mentioned, things could get fired up, so be diligent in scouting.

Let us know if we can help.

Fig. 1.  NOAA 7-day precipitation forecast.

Fig. 2.  Leaf blast in rice.

2023 Rice College is Aug. 16

The 2023 Rice College will be held Aug. 16, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (tentatively) at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Rice Research and Extension Center near Stuttgart.  The station address is 2900 Hwy. 130 E., Stuttgart, AR 72160.

Crop consultants, industry personnel, and producers will see current research on many of the production challenges Arkansas rice producers are experiencing today.  Attendees will participate in field presentations from UA Division of Agriculture personnel and have the opportunity to take part in hands-on (boots on!) demonstrations.  CEUs will be available and lunch will be provided.

The program is still being finalized but plans include agronomy, fertility, weed science, entomology, irrigation, and pathology tours.

Cost of attendance is $100 and you must register by Aug. 10 at the following link:  https://uada.formstack.com/forms/2023_rice_college

Wind Damage

The severe winds on Sunday, 6/25, left many without power for a few days and definitely gave folks a good scare.  Rice held up very well, with most of the crop being just young enough to be flexible and handle the storms.  Leaf tip injury is the most common symptom, most all of which is minor.  We didn’t need this to happen to heading rice, that’s for sure.

Ultimately the rice will be fine and go back to growing right along, but the rice may have an odd shade to it until new leaves overshadow the ones with injured tips.  Be mindful that there can be other issues in the field and these symptoms can cause confusion when diagnosing other problems.

Fig. 3.  Leaf tip damage in rice from high winds.

Fig. 4.  Leaf tip damage and pale color in rice from wind damage.

June Acreage Report

The tables below include USDA’s planted acreage estimates for rice from the June 30 Acreage report.  The survey for the Acreage report is conducted during the first two weeks of June.  The findings indicated a 104,000-acre increase in total U.S. rice since the March Prospective Plantings survey.  At 2.687 million, total U.S. rice acres would be the highest since 2020. 

Table 1.  2023 U.S. Planted Acres, Rice.

Source:  USDA-NASS

Since the March 31 intentions report, Arkansas’ rice acres were revised 10,000 acres higher with an increase in long-grain acres.  Total acres have returned to a healthy 1.311 million acres.  The only surprise here is that more acres weren’t added to the report.  Based on the early and continued planting this spring, acres appeared to climb further beyond March expectations.

Table 2.  2023 Arkansas Planted Acres, Rice.

Source:  USDA-NASS

The table below provides a look at state totals for long-grain rice acres.  In the June Acreage, USDA made upward adjustments for Arkansas, California, Louisiana, and Texas with no changes for Mississippi and Missouri.

Table 3.  U.S. Long-Grain Rice Acres, 2023.

Source:  USDA-NASS

Rice Futures:

I certainly have no crystal ball on the direction of the market from here.  But it is interesting to note the 100-day and 20-day moving averages closing in on each other.

Fig. 5.  CME September 2023 Rough Rice Futures, Daily Chart.

DD50 Rice Management Program is Live

The DD50 Rice Management Program is live and ready for fields to be enrolled for the 2023 season.  All log-in and producer information has been retained from the 2022 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.