For years, the LSU AgCenter has provided rice farmers and producers with recommendations on how to best manage their crop in terms of seeding rate, water usage, nitrogen fertilizer and other variables. Most years, researchers at the AgCenter’s H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station produce new data to support or revise their recommendations.

Scientists at the station have worked to study these variables, especially nitrogen fertilizer and seeding rate and different cultural management practices, to create environmentally friendly changes to common rice farm management practices.

This year, however, there has been no change to the previous recommendations provided by the AgCenter for rice management. This project, led by associate professor Manoch Kongchum, covers many ways to manage rice crops, which also include water usage in delayed flooding, water-seeding and furrow-irrigated rice systems, or row rice.

These suggestions come from research on different varieties and use of different kinds of fertilizers. This information gives farmers the opportunity to use and invest their resources in the most cost-efficient way possible, Kongchum said.

“Sometimes you put more fertilizer, you get more yield,” Kongchum said. “But if you put less, maybe you get less. However, you could get more profit because of the lower input cost — such as seed, fertilizer and pumping.”

This project will continue next year as the AgCenter strives to keep up with necessary changes in rice production. Kongchum will continue to find new ways to save farmers money and time, which benefits both producers and consumers.

“Our idea about why we try to evaluate the efficiency is, it may not be always the most resources, but we want the right recipe that farmers should get the best benefit for the production,” Kongchum said.