The Rice Research Institute located at the Guangxi Academy is renowned for its expertise in rice research, and this is the primary purpose of our visit. We hope to establish long-term collaborative research efforts between this Chinese research facility and the Rice Station that will ultimately benefit the Louisiana rice industry.

Captured "red swamp crawfish" vary widely in color because of their diet and environmental conditions, but the most exotic colors occur because of mutations in the genes that are responsible for pigment formation.

November 2004

Over the last several years, crawfish farmers have been switching to a slightly different crawfish trap – one constructed of ¾-inch square mesh wire in lieu of those made from ¾-inch hexagonal (6-sided) mesh. The square mesh traps are more durable and produce larger catches.

April 2005. Questions are often asked about which rice variety is best to plant in crawfish ponds. When rice production is a primary goal and varieties are limited to the grain producing types, few differences exist in their forage traits.

The 2007 Louisiana rice crop is out of the field for the most part. While a few fields of second crop remain to be harvested, the harvest season is pretty much completed.

(2003 Report)

(2002 report)

Limited food resources near the end of the crawfish production season resulted in lower reproduction. Moreover, short-term feeding with high protein/high energy feeds in forage depleted ponds before crawfish burrowing seemed to mitigate the food shortages and even increased the spawning rate over those crawfish from ponds rich in forage.

2004 rice research program included breeding, biotechnology, variety testing, production and distribution of foundation seed, fertilization, soil and water management, cultural practices, weed control, insect control, disease investigations, rice drying, bird control in rice, and physiology studies. The aquaculture research program places emphasis upon production practices, forages, and multi-cropping of crawfish with agronomic crops

Quarterly publications with current activities and research updates for 2005.

Quarterly publications with current activities and research updates for 2006.

LA Farm & Ranch (September 2006) - Mechanized rice production in the United States had its origin on the southwest Louisiana coastal prairies in the latter part of the 19th century. Since the beginning of this industry, there has been a need for the continual development of new technology to boost the productivity and economic viability of rice production.

LA Farm & Ranch (April 2006) - The 2006 rice production season will be a difficult one for Lousiana producers. Projected low cash prices for the crop, coupled with historically high input costs, will make it imperative that producers do an excellent job in managing the crop.

LA Farm & Ranch (August 2006) - Rice quality is influenced by numerous factors and the key to determining the price a grower will receive for the harvested crop.

The 2005 Annual Research Report includes information on breeding, biotechnology, variety testing, production and distribution of foundation seed, fertilization, soil and water management, cultural practices, weed control, insect control, disease investigations, rice drying, bird control and physiology studies. The aquaculture research program places emphasis upon production practices, forages and multi-cropping of crawfish with agronomic crops.

The 2008 Louisiana rice planting season started out with a general air of optimism. However, as the rice cropping season draws to a close, it will be remembered as one of the most diverse and surprising.

Quarterly publications with current activities and research updates for 2008.

LA Farm & Ranch (May 2006) - Research results provide additional insight into aspects of the burrow ecology of crawfish and may help explain the generally poor yields for the 2005-2006 season.

Several farming strategies are used to produce crawfish in Louisiana. Production outcomes are largely influenced by which strategy is employed.

Louisiana rice producers are at the mercy of the weather of our state which can sometimes be detrimental to the crop even in the absence of hurricanes.

Quarterly publications with current activities and research updates for 2004.

Research at the Rice Research Station, Crowley, Louisiana, is conducted by scientists with the LSU AgCenter's Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station. Projects at this station are conducted under the supervision of research scientists from the Rice Research Station and also by cooperating personnel from certain departments of the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station.

A common misconception is that the only research conducted at the Rice Research Station relates to improvements in technology for Louisiana rice production. research area that holds great potential for the state is the research being conducted on the improvement of plant species and technology for restoration of Louisiana coastal areas.

A potential new rice insect pest has been identified in the United States. The insect has been identified as the rice panicle mite Steneotarsonemus spinki, Smiley.

The general objective of this project is to develop the biological, etiological, epidemiological, genetic, and biotechnological information necessary to control losses due to rice diseases. This project is headed by Dr. Chuck Rush.

The advancement in rice genomics and completion of rice genome sequence open new possibilities to approach key problems found in rice production. This project is headed by Herry Utomo.

The goal of the rice entomology program is to develop cost-effective strategies for managing insect pests in Louisiana rice. This project is headed by Dr. Michael Stout.

Dr. Brooks Blanche heads the medium-grain rice breeding project. The projects objective is to develop and release varieties with high-yield potential and superior agronomic characteristics.

The objective of the Foundation Seed Rice Program is to purify, increase, and distribute foundation seed of new varieties of rice to Louisiana rice farmers. The program is headed by Larry White.

The annual field day was held on July 2 at the LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station near Crowley. This is an event held at this time each year that showcases technological advances that have come about from research conducted at this facility.

Induced mutation breeding is a viable proven approach to improve certain qualitative traits. More than 440 rice and 2200 crop varieties have been released through induced mutation work.

This project is focused on breeding for improved conventional and special purpose rice varieties for Louisiana and the southern United States. This project is headed by Dr. Xueyan Sha.

The objective of the Rice Pathology Project is to develop an integrated disease management program that effectively and economically reduces rice diseases. This project is headed by Dr. Don Groth.

The LSU AgCenter Rice Genetics Project is dedicated to improving the Louisiana rice industry through cooperative research projects with scientists at the Rice Research Station and on the LSU Baton Rouge campus. This project is headed by Dr. Jim Oard.

The overall objective of the Agronomy Project at the Rice Research Station is to enhance rice production in Louisiana by evaluating and improving nutrient and cultural management practices. The project is headed by Dr. Dustin Harrell.

The Breeding Project, under the direction of senior rice breeder Dr. Steve Linscombe, has the responsibility of developing both conventional and herbicide resistant long grain varieties.

The research activities of this station include both fundamental and applied research, although the latter predominates because of the mission of the Rice Research Station. Research accomplishments and general progress of the Rice Station are presented in this report representing the 98th Annual Research Report of the Rice Research Station, Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, LSU Agricultural Center.

As a rice plant grows and develops, it progresses through a number of different growth stages until it reaches harvest maturity and is ready for the combine. Most of our currently grown rice varieties need approximately 120 days from seed germination until the grain is ready for harvest.

The 2008 LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station’s Rice Cam will show a number of images of the seed production field of the variety Catahoula.

A list of varieties released by the Rice Research Station dating back to 1917.

Rice research scientists from the LSU AgCenter conduct many research projects at locations other than the Rice Research Station near Crowley. These off-station sites are located throughout the rice-growing regions of the state.

Two PowerPoint presentations presented by Dr. Dustin Harrell at the Rice Technical Working Group Meeting in San Diego. The first presentation covers the effects of main crop harvest height on ratoon yield, re-growth rate, and panicle point of origin for two long grain rice cultivars. The second presentation covers the effects of tillage system selection (stale seedbed vs. conventional tillage) on optimum seeding and N fertilization rates for a medium and long grain rice variety.

Rice planting season will soon be upon us. There is a tempered sense of optimism among rice farmers going into the 2008 planting season because prices received for rice are currently higher than they have been for years. That optimism is tempered because the cost of production of a rice crop is at an all-time high.

Quarterly publications with current activities and research updates for 2007.

The LSU AgCenter has released two new rice varieties for seed production in 2008. Both varieties were developed at the Rice Research Station located near Crowley.

Farm & Ranch 1(2):10 - April 2005. Because the weed is so closely related to the crop plant, it has been impossible to develop a conventional rice herbicide that will control red rice in a rice crop without causing severe damage to the commercial crop. Therefore, research efforts at the LSU AgCenter’s Rice Research Station were undertaken to develop an “unconventional” approach to red rice control.

Farm & Ranch 1(10):10 - Dec. 2005. The Louisiana Rice Research Board recently met to review funded projects, evaluate new proposed projects and make decisions on funding for 2006. The board is a 13-member group that administers funds collected at a rate of $.05/cwt on all rice produced in Louisiana. These funds can be used only for rice-related research purposes.

Farm & Ranch - Jan. 2006. The White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area is a unique combination of freshwater marsh and crop land located in the southwest portion of Vermilion Parish.

Farm & Ranch 1(8):17 - October 2005: Steve Linscombe reports on the IRRI Meeting, Bali, Indonesia, he attended.

Farm & Ranch 1(6):20 - August 2005. Rice variety development is a long-term research endeavor. It normally takes 4-5 years from when the initial cross is made to develop a new population, until superior progeny from that population are uniform enough to be entered into yield trials.

Farm & Ranch 1(5):11 - July 2005. The LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station has a long history of developing new varieties of benefit to the Louisiana rice industry.

Farm & Ranch 1(7):16 - Sept. 2005. The lines that display superior characteristics in preliminary testing are considered for advancement to our Commercial/Advanced (CA) trials, as well as the Uniform Regional Rice Nursery (URN). Only about 5% of lines entered into the preliminary trials will be advanced.

The recent USA Rice Outlook Conference, held in Orlando, Florida, provided an excellent overview on the current state of affairs in the rice industry. Successful rice research can have positive benefits for Louisiana rice producers regardless of where it is conducted.

LA Farm & Ranch (Nov. 2006) - The history of U.S. rice production - The Carolina Connection.

Introduced by the LSU AgCenter in 2004, Ecrevisse is the first rice cultivar specifically suited as a forage crop for crawfish production.

Quarterly safety meetings are held at the Rice Research Station. The briefs of these meetings are viewable below.

LA Farm & Ranch (Nov. 2006) There are several reasons why a "recipe" approach might work for many commodities but is much less certain for crawfish.

The rice weed research project has developed into a recognized program across the United States. The program headed by Dr. Eric Webster focuses on weed control in conventional and herbicide resistant/tolerant rice.

The Louisiana Rice Research Verification Program (LRRVP) began in 1997 in three parishes. The fields are visited on at least a weekly basis by a Specialist, County Agent or the Extension Associate.

Because the Rice Station is located in the heart of the crawfish producing region and because rice culture plays an integral part in the farming of crawfish, since much of the crawfish acreage is double-cropped with rice, or rice is planted solely as a food resource in crawfish ponds, it is only natural that this project coexist as part of the Rice Research Station.

Provides information about the activities and reserach conducted at the research station.

This list of BMPs (Best Management Practices) is a guide for the selection and implementation of those practices that will help producers to conserve soil and protect water and air resources by reducing pollutants from reaching both surface and ground water.