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The hybrid breeding program is in the process of fine-tuning experimental lines that have shown promise, according to Jim Oard, LSU AgCenter hybrid breeder.
He said the yields of three of the LSU AgCenter hybrids were among the top of 60 entries in the 2015 Commercial Advanced Trials.
Yields results of varieties in the test varied from location-to-location, he said, but the hybrids’ yields were consistently high.
But Oard said the hybrids need refining to address lodging, chalk and grain dimension uniformity issues.
He said this year’s stormy weather provided a good test for lodging susceptibility.
“There are some experimental lines that show some promise that we’ll take a look at next year,” Oard said. “We have spent quite a bit of time in the past 2 years to develop foundation hybrid stocks to address these issues.”
DNA marker technology has been used extensively in the hybrid program, he said. “That’s been critical to be able to speed up the process.”
Release of an LSU AgCenter rice hybrid could be two to three years away, he said.
The LSU AgCenter and the LSU College of Agriculture
