Welcome to the 41st annual report to the California Rice Growers.  In the following pages you will read about 2009 grower-funded research essential to successful California rice farming: breeding for new rice varieties, weed management and algae control, alternative rice stand establishment, updating fertility guidelines, control of invertebrate pests, optimizing harvest conditions, new work on converting rice waste to bioplastics, and other projects.

California’s public rice breeding program is conducted and managed by scientists at the Rice Experiment Station. The program has released 42 improved public rice varieties since 1969. Experimental lines advancing through the breeding pipeline will help meet specific needs for evolving market and production conditions. Progress in each of the four project areas is detailed in the Rice Breeding Program section of this annual report.

Testing of promising experimental lines takes place at 16 farm locations, as well as at the Rice Experiment Station. Several advanced lines, including a new Calrose medium grain, have produced high yields and showed other improvements. Rice variety testing in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta provided valuable cold-tolerance screening. This work and results of statewide testing is described in the Variety Trials section.

Molecular markers are an important tool for identifying sources of disease resistance, cold tolerance, and enhanced grain quality.  Work last year focused on isolating genes associated with high yields, quality, and an analysis of wide compatibility in California varieties. This research is reported in Molecular Marker-Assisted Rice Improvement.

Changes to early-season water management for improved weed control affects soil fertility and fertilizer use. Thus, research on improved timing of nitrogen and phosphorous applications is crucial. Five growers participated in a study to see how shifting phosphorous timing affects algae growth. Read about this work in Improving Fertilizer Guidelines for California’s Changing Rice Climate.

Researchers are also ramping up studies on alternative rice establishment practices to combat herbicide-resistant weeds and to reduce herbicide use. Grower field trials continue to validate the value of using a spring-tilled, stale seedbed technique to control major weeds like watergrass, barnyardgrass, sprangletop and smallflower umbrellasedge. Read about this work in the Scaling Out Alternative Rice Establishment Practices section.

Weed control research examines new and existing herbicides, as well as combinations and sequential applications. Testing continues on the three major systems of rice culture – continuous flood, pinpoint flood, and dry or drill-seeded. This research is helping to fine tune the best herbicide and management combinations for each of these systems. Some organic compounds were also tested. This work is reported in Weed Control in Rice.

Research on filamentous algae showed that delaying phosphorous fertilizer applications until after rice seedlings have emerged may offer an effective management strategy for some growers. This study and related work on a commercial algaecide is reported in the section Assessing Alternative Methods for Managing Algae in California.

The infestation of rice water weevil (RWW), the primary insect pest of concern, was at the highest level in 10 years in 2009. Work focused on comparing the susceptibility of different rice varieties to this pest, on how alternative seeding and establishment practices may affect RWW abundance, and the effectiveness of different chemical controls. Control of tadpole shrimp is another area that has received greater attention on this project. Studies also continued on the impacts of rice pesticides on non-target insects. Read about this work in Protection of Rice from Invertebrate Pests.

A related, new study evaluated RWW sampling techniques. Since dry seeding may influence rice water weevil numbers, a fresh look at larval distribution within rice fields is warranted to assess damage potential and impact to grain.  Learn what they discovered in Evaluation of Rice Water Weevil Sampling and Distribution.

Laboratory and field-testing pesticides important in rice culture determines whether a compound will dissipate in the atmosphere, dissolve in water, or degrade in the soil. Research in 2009 determined that clomazone (Cerano®), one of the most effective tools for watergrass control, is a relatively safe herbicide that will dissipate rapidly in drainage water. This work – and research on the insecticides etofenprox and Clothianidin – is reported in Environmental Fate of Rice Pesticides.

Another project is examining how crop management decisions and field moisture conditions affect rice milling quality and yield. Experiments compared how varieties M-202, M-205, and M-206 responded to different drain dates. This work is important to understand the potential for water savings while producing maximum yields and grain quality. Another part of this project examined insects present in storage facilities that could potentially affect rice quality. Read about this work in the section on Crop Management and Environmental Effects on Rice Milling Quality and Yield.

Infrared radiation has been shown a viable method of drying rice with high milling quality. Research in 2009 took advantage of advanced imaging technology to create a clearer picture of how moisture affects fissuring, and thus crop value. This work is reported in the section Improving Rice Quality and Processing Efficiency.

Broken rice and rice bran are an underutilized resource that could be tapped for production of high-value functional food ingredients and nutritional supplements. Work on pretreating rice ultrasonically and with commercial enzymes to facilitate the extraction of proteins is reported in Rice Utilization and Product Development.

Research also continued on finding improved methods of turning rice straw into a successful livestock ration. Work in 2009 focused on nutrient loss from straw removal.  Rice growers were also invited to visit several dairies to see how straw is being used as a feed ration for heifers. This and related work is reported in Dairy feeding of Rice Hay.

The basic science necessary to produce biodegradable plastics from rice and beer byproducts was the focus of a new study in 2009. A Chico State University team produced small amounts of a lactic acid material that can be formed into plastic sheets. Read about this cutting-edge research in Rice Waste Conversion to Biodegradable Plastics.

The country and the world have experienced major turmoil in the last year and a half. We in the rice industry face our challenges, but we continue to thrive. One of the major reasons why we continue to do so is exemplified in the work reported here. The brightest minds in agricultural research continue step by step to help California rice farmers evolve and move forward to greater economic and environmental sustainability. We are indeed fortunate. Wishing you the best in 2010.