Bruce Linquist, UCCE Rice Specialist, Dept of Plant Sciences, UC Davis |
Nine uniform breeding line trials were conducted
throughout the rice growing regions
of California in 2021 by UC
Cooperative Extension scientists in cooperation
with rice breeders at the Rice Experiment Station
(RES). This ongoing project allows you to compare
the performance of older and upcoming varieties
in an area near you. Except for the RES test, all trials
are performed in actual grower fields. This allows
standard varieties to be compared with
preliminary and advanced breeding lines across a
range of environments, farmer practices, and disease
levels. Three similar tests were conducted at
RES – one test for each of the three growing
zones. All tests were water seeded except for San
Joaquin. Testing advanced and preliminary lines under a variety of conditions remains a critical aspect of releasing varieties adapted to changing cultural practices, markets, and pests. Results are divided into three zones: • Zone 1: the Wylie Ranch • (Glenn County) and the Dennis Ranch (Colusa County). • Zone 2: the Larrabee Ranch (Glenn/Butte County) and the Schohr Ranch (S. Butte County). • Zone 3: the Lauppe Ranch (S. Sutter County), the Erdman Ranch (District 108, Yolo County), the Rehman Ranch (south Yolo County), the Del Rio Ranch (San Joaquin County), and the Rue Ranch (District 10, Yuba County). The table shows the various sites and the five year averages for standard varieties and the new ROXY variety (19Y4000) coming out soon. You should be able to examine sites near you and get an idea how your current varieties perform compared to other varieties. Considerable detailed information is also contained in the full report covering other varieties and breeding lines.
Equipment and ServiceThis project also provides a centrally located equipment pool for planting, fertilizing, treatment applications and harvesting rice. Other UC projects in this report rely on this equipment pool and technical assistance for their research. Assistance was provided to approximately 16 trials including the 9 variety tests already referenced. The two combines were maintained according to the established maintenance schedules.
EducationThe project also disseminated research-based information to California rice producers, dryer operators, millers, and the public through a virtual winter grower meeting, field demonstrations, personal communication, and other printed material. The annual Rice Breeder’s Field Tour where the RES breeders evaluate each test was hosted in the Fall. The UCCE rice website is online at rice.ucanr.edu and new materials are being added as they become available.
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