The last year of the last century proved to be the beginning of major transition at the Rice Experiment Station (RES), with major personnel changes foremost among them.   Sadly, we say good-bye to our friend and colleague, RES Director D. Marlin Brandon, who passed away this winter.  He will be missed by many.  Marlin devoted his life to the rice industry and guided the RES during a period of steady growth, challenge and opportunity.  His legacy is one of vastly improved varieties with higher yields for growers.  A fellowship in his honor is being established by the Rice Research Trust.

In the Rice Breeding Program section of this report, scientists report on their extensive crossing in breeding nurseries for improved varieties, results of statewide yield tests, new developments in different grain classes and breeding for disease resistance.  Of particular note is the release this spring of two new medium-grain varieties, including M-205, a much-anticipated successor to M-202.

Sixteen rice variety evaluation trials were conducted on farms throughout the rice growing areas of the state, along with six similar tests at the Rice Experiment Station.   These trials expose commercial standards and experimental cultivars to a wide range of environments, cultural practices and disease levels to get a sense of how they will perform in "real world" growing conditions.   Findings from these studies are reported in the Variety Trials section.  Other studies reported in this section include nitrogen management for four recently released varieties (M-402, L-205, Calmati and Calhikari); the effect of straw removal on potassium fertility; and nitrogen management for Japanese premium quality rice.

Scientists working in a USDA-funded laboratory at UC Davis are using DNA fingerprinting and other advanced molecular genetics techniques to identify genes linked to blast and stem rot resistance, mapping of cold tolerance genes and other genes beneficial for California varieties.  Read about their progress in the Genetics section of this report.  A related study reported in Enhancement of Osmotic (Salinity) Stress Tolerance in Rice is, as its title suggests, seeking to uncover the cellular mechanisms that control salinity tolerance in rice.

Weed scientists continue examining a variety of compounds at the Rice Experiment Station, including Command®, an effective grass herbicide with a mode of action different than anything else currently under study.  It could become an important tool in the management of herbicide resistance for watergrass.  Research into various herbicides, combinations of herbicides, transgenic rice, herbicide resistance and weed biology are all reported in the section Weed Control in Rice.

Much of the focus on research into rice diseases the last six years has been on the relationship between alternative rice residue management practices and the epidemiology of stem rot and aggregate sheath spot.  Progress in this area is reported in the section Cause and Control of Rice Diseases.  A great deal of attention has also been directed toward understanding rice blast disease, which first turned up in 1996.  Distribution of the disease remained about the same in 1999 as in the previous year, although it was reported in Butte County for the first time.  Read what plant pathologists are learning about this fungal disease, progress in the hunt for sources of resistance and the effectiveness of chemical controls in Investigations on Rice Blast Disease in California.

Entomologists report significant progress in the development of alternative insecticides and refined cultural controls in the battle against the Rice Water Weevil.   And not a moment too soon.  Limited to using existing supplies of Furadan® this year,  growers need help in controlling this pest.  Read in Protection of Rice from Invertebrate Pests about research into newly registered post-flood materials Dimilin® and Warrior®, as well as three other products that may afford additional flexibility for RWW control — Mustang®, Novodor® and Icon®.  Work on insecticidal resistance, RWW biology and cultural controls are also reported.

Environmental toxicologists concluded a three-year investigation of the promising herbicide carfentrazone (Shark®) and the insecticide fipronil (Icon®).  These scientists report that buffer strips may be needed to prevent off-site movement of carfentrazone byproducts, while fipronil degrades into low concentrations of a tolerable byproduct. Findings are reported in Environmental Fate of Rice Pesticides. Toxicologists are also looking at how longer periods of flooding affects the soil’s ability to break down pesticides.  A related study reported in Molinate: A Metabolic Explanation for Species Differences in Susceptibility to Male Reproductive Toxicity has shed new light on why humans do not appear to be as vulnerable to the herbicide molinate as laboratory test animals.

A new study examining propanil has allayed some of the fears associated with the broadleaf herbicide.   This ambitious, multi-faceted project is reported in Assessing the Environmental Effects of Mixed Aerial and Ground Use of Propanil & Off Target Movement of Propanil Applied by Ground.  Researchers developed a list of specific recommendations to ensure the continued use and safety of this product.

Figuring out the reasons for variability in rice production will become easier as scientists bring high-tech tools into more common use.  "Precision agriculture" goes beyond laser leveling to include devices that measure differences in salinity and clay content; infrared aerial photography that identifies variations in vegetative growth and hand-held leaf tissue samplers that determine nitrogen fertility.   Read about current research on precision ag in Evaluation of Yield Monitoring Technology.

Another hi-tech tool we’ve all heard much about the last few years is the Internet.  Some of the same scientists involved in evaluating yield monitoring technology are also cultivating the vast resources of the World Wide Web on the California Cooperative Extension Rice Web site.  Their progress is summarized in A World Wide Web Site on California Rice Production.

How will changes in the way growers dispose of rice straw after harvest affect nitrogen availability?  Scientists are finding answers to that question in a multi-year project located at Maxwell and at the Rice Experiment Station.  Based on their findings, scientists recommend that where straw is incorporated for five or more years, fertilizer nitrogen applications should not exceed 100 pounds per acre.  Learn more in the section, Reassessing Soil N Availability and Fertilizer Recommendations under Alternative Rice Residue Management Practices.

Much of the groundwork for new rice products is developed at USDA’s Western Regional Research Center in Albany.  Scientists there and at UC Davis are researching the textural properties of rice, as well as the antioxidant and cancer-fighting properties of rice bran.  Their findings are reported in Rice Utilization and Product Development.

Rice straw may one day become a regular staple in cattle rations, thanks to the research in another project, New Concepts of Rice Residue for use as Cattle Feed.  In its second year, this project found further evidence that, compared to other methods, the silage process improves animal intake of straw.  Researchers are also analyzing the varying nutritional attributes of different rice varieties and created a pamphlet to educate growers on the restrictions associated with herbicide-treated rice residue destined for livestock feed.

As market demand for premium quality rice increases, growers and handlers are becoming increasingly aware of the factors that enhance and determine rice quality.  Chief among them are harvest moisture, drying techniques and storage conditions, which were the focus of a study on the Japanese premium variety Akitakomachi reported in the section Rice Quality.

We still can’t do much about the weather.  But we can — and have — learned how to take advantage of certain weather patterns to ensure that smoke from the limited acreage we burn is dispersed and the air quality in the Sacramento Valley is minimally affected.  Read about the consistent effectiveness of these efforts in The 1999 Rice Straw Burning Program.