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Since the early 1900s, LSU AgCenter scientists have bred and released nearly 60 varieties that were developed specifically with Louisiana needs in mind.
Utomo and his team developed a high-protein line of rice cultivar, Frontière, which was released in 2017. The rice was developed through traditional breeding.
Thanks for a Great Career
Provisia Rice Will be Valuable for the Louisiana Rice Industry
Major rice producing states in the United States.
2017 H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station Field Day
The 2017 LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station Field Day was held on June 28.
Rice goes way back in the history of Louisiana.
This research facility has continuously provided technology advances to increase the viability of the Louisiana rice industry during its 108 years of existence.
While the potential uses for drones is almost limitless, many of the future applications are expected to be in agriculture.
While all agronomic crops require meticulous management, rice is considerably more complex.
One of the first, and most important, decisions a rice producer makes each year is which variety to grow in each production field.
Making crosses is the backbone of the breeding program today.
The LSU AgCenter’s H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station was established in 1909 and is now well into its second century of providing new technology to the Louisiana rice industry. The station has been successful in variety development efforts, having released 52 varieties, including 32 in the past 25 years. Hybrid rice has been developed and has demonstrated significant yield advantages over inbred varieties since the 1970s.
The LSU AgCenter has recently released two new rice varieties that should give a boost to Louisiana rice production. Both of these varieties contain the gene for resistance to imadazolinone (imi) herbicides, which will allow them to be used with the Clearfield production system.
It is critical for farmers and others in the industry to stay abreast of the latest technological advances. Louisiana rice farmers are fortunate in that three excellent meetings will be held within driving distance in the next few months.
The Rice Research Station has been in existence since 1909. One of the most important developments to come from the station in recent years has been the introduction of Clearfield rice. This technology has probably had more impact on Louisiana rice production than any other new technology that has resulted from the station’s research efforts.
The 2015 LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station Field Day was held on July 1. This was the 106th field day since the station was established in 1909. Last month we discussed the weed control and rice breeding stops on the tour. This month we continue with the four additional stops (plant pathology, insect pests, hybrid rice breeding, and rice agronomy). The 2016 Rice Research Station Field Day will be held on Wednesday, June 29.
The 2015 LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station Field Day was held on July 1. This was the 106th field day held since the station was established in 1909.
The 2015 rice season in Louisiana has been a challenging one up to this point. The predominant theme in this year’s crop, so far, has been precipitation. Since March 1, which marks the beginning of rice planting in southwest Louisiana, the Rice Research Station has received more than 24 inches of rain. These wet conditions are also troublesome with soybeans, which are the main rotation crop with rice in southwest Louisiana.
The advent of GPS and GIS technology has greatly improved rice production in a number of ways. One of the first areas to use GPS technology in rice production was in aerial applications. Another area where this technology has been important is in improving the precision of rice fertilization. Other advances from this technology include auto-steer tractors, sprayers, and other field machinery.
The Rice Research Station was established in 1909 with the main mission of evaluating and then later developing superior varieties for improving the viability of the Louisiana rice industry. The evolution of rice production in the state over the past 33 years has been profound.
Louisiana rice producers grew a higher percentage of acres of medium-grain rice varieties in 2014 than had been grown in many years. This was primarily due to a significant premium offered for medium grain for the 2014 crop.
Blackbirds can cause significant levels of damage to the Louisiana rice crop, both at seeding and as the crop approaches harvest maturity. Several species of blackbirds are responsible for damage to rice crops, particularly red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus), common grackles (Quiscalus quiscula) and brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater). Damage is caused by both resident and migrant blackbirds, and migrant birds reach peak numbers from fall through early spring.
The 2014 Louisiana rice crop is either in the bins or already on the table somewhere. One thing that is a constant in Louisiana rice production is that no two growing seasons are ever alike, and 2014 proved to be no different. The overall growing season proved to be a very wet one which was a stark contrast from 2013.
Rice variety selection is one of the first and most important decisions made by a rice producer prior to planting the crop. In 2015, there will be five conventional long-grains recommended for statewide production – Catahoula, Cheniere, Cocodrie, Mermentau and Roy J.
The Louisiana Rice Research Board met on November 4 to evaluate currently funded projects and decide on funding for 2015. The board is made up of 14 rice producer members, who are appointed by the governor based on nominations submitted by statewide rice producer organizations.
I traveled to China in mid-September as a guest of the Rice Research Institute of the Heilongjiang Nongken Science Academy. Heilongjiang is the most northern province in the northeast corner of the country. The main purpose of the trip was to establish cooperative research endeavors with the Heilongjiang Academy.
While the LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station near Crowley is the epicenter of rice research in Louisiana, scientists conduct many studies at locations other than the station. These off-station sites are located across the rice-growing regions of the state.
The 105th LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station Field Day was held on June 25. Dr. Randy Price and Mr. Charles Malveaux demonstrated the use of UAV systems in agriculture.
The 105th LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station Field Day was held on June 25. In spite of the threat of inclement weather, nearly 400 people turned out for the field day.
Since its establishment over 100 years ago, the Rice Station has been vital to the Louisiana and southern U.S. rice industry.
Few rice varieties were available early on, and only after the establishment of the LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station in 1909 was research conducted to evaluate and develop new varieties uniquely adapted to this region.
Louisiana rice growers set a statewide yield record of 7,300 pounds per acre (USDA estimates), and, in general, the quality of last year’s crop was good to excellent.
Rice breeders are often asked what they look for when making selections. The answer is complex. Rice varieties are composed of many genes that control every function of the individual plant.
International collaborative research is extremely important to what we do at the Rice Research Station. We have imported germplasm from Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, and South and Central America. In turn, we have provided our improved germplasm to rice breeders from all of these regions as well.
The Rice Research Station has been developing and releasing new rice varieties since it was established in 1909. For almost as long, the station has specialized in the production of foundation seed of those varieties. Foundation seed is the seed that the research station releases to the rice industry to provide beginning seed stocks for the future of new and existing varieties.
The 104th LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station Field Day was held on June 26. The field tour included five stops with speakers from Rice Station, the Baton Rouge campus, the University of Arkansas and Mississippi State University.
LSU AgCenter rice research scientists must be continually ready to respond to issues that emerge periodically in the rice industry. Each research scientist has a fairly structured research program, but that program must have the flexibility to focus efforts on new problems as they arise.
Because Puerto Rico is a tropical environment, warm-season crops such as rice can be grown all 12 months of the year. The research endeavor in Puerto Rico is critical to our efforts to continually provide new improved varieties to the Louisiana rice industry.
Over the past three years, there has been a great deal of discussion about quality aspects of the long-grain rice produced is the southern U.S. rice-growing region. U.S. long-grain rice has historically been considered the quality standard of the world.
Rice variety selection is one of the first and most important decisions made by a rice producer prior to planting the crop. Each year LSU AgCenter rice scientists meet to review the previous year’s research and make decisions on information to provide to Louisiana rice producers to assist them in deciding which varieties to use in their rice production programs.
An important function of the Rice Research Station is the continual development of new, superior rice varieties to maintain and enhance the viability of the Louisiana rice industry. To create a new variety, one must first create new pools of genetic variation. A cross is made through a tedious and meticulous approach.
Mr. J.B. Trahan of Jennings, a longtime employee of the Federal Land Bank, recently donated a document to the Rice Research Station library. . It was a summary of a study on the economics of rice production in southwest Louisiana developed for internal use in the Farm Credit Administration.
Each year we see some level of blast disease in Louisiana rice production. The level of severity can vary from very light pressure to heavy pressure. However, blast disease in south Louisiana rice production during the 2012 growing season was exceptionally high.
Over 40 years ago very far-sighted Louisiana rice industry leaders understood the importance of research to improve rice production technology, as well as promotion of the commodity to improve marketing opportunities.
My wife, Judy, and I recently had the opportunity to visit Spain as a guest of Dr. Paul Christou, a world-renowned plant biotechnologist/molecular biologist. I had the opportunity to give an extended lecture while at the University of Lleida. I discussed rice production in Louisiana and the United States in general, as well as the research efforts at the Rice Research Station.
Sheath blight disease normally is present each year, and the severity of this disease is predicated by the particular environmental conditions of the growing season.
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.
In 2009, Louisiana producers planted approximately 460,000 acres of rice, with the predominant variety being CL151, which was seeded on 26 percent of those acres.
Sustainable agriculture is based on the principle that we must meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs as it relates to food production.
The LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station has a long history of developing new rice varieties to help improve the viability of the Louisiana rice industry. In fact, the station has developed and released 44 improved varieties in its 101-year history.
More rice acreage in Louisiana will be seeded to medium-grain varieties than has been the case in a number of years.
Several growth stages help identify critical periods during the life cycle of the rice crop. They are generally separated into the vegetative and reproductive phases or stages of growth.
As of this writing (early April), most of the research areas, as well as all of the foundation seed fields, have been planted at the Rice Station. In addition, several of our off-station research locations also have been planted.
The LSU AgCenter has released two new rice varieties for production in 2012. Both of these varieties are the result of a number of years of breeding research at the Rice Research Station near Crowley.
One of the features of southwest Louisiana that first attracted pioneers to attempt rice production in the region was the abundance of surface water available from the bayous and rivers that flow south to the Gulf of Mexico.
U.S. long-grain rice has been considered the quality standard of the world. In recent years, however, a number of both domestic as well as international customers have complained about the quality. The causes of the quality issues in U.S. long-grain rice are complex and not due to one specific factor.
As we move into fall in Louisiana, the rice harvest is essentially complete. Here at the Rice Research Station, we are wrapping up our field research as well. Even as we complete our field research, our research activities do not slow down. The fall and winter months are crucial in our preparation for field research anew next season.
Numerous diseases can infect rice plants. While some are typically considered major, others are normally of only minor consequence. Sheath blight is one of the diseases classified in the major category.
The 2011 Rice Research Station Field Day was held on Thursday, June 30, at the research facility near Crowley. Each year the field day includes a tour of various research sites around the station where scientists display their research efforts and discuss results that will be of benefit to rice producers and others that work in rice production agriculture.
How things have changed, and most of these changes have occurred in the past 20 years. Early on, people began to hear the word personal computer more frequently. We had no idea the possibilities this device would someday provide.
While all agronomic crops require meticulous management, rice is considerably more complex. Much of this complexity is due to the fact that rice is grown under flooded conditions for most of the growing season.
Plant breeders face a tremendous challenge in breeding varieties that will be successful for production.
The industry uses the names to designate varieties throughout the time they are produced and often well beyond their commercial production. The variety name is important because multiple facets of the seed industry are based on the name.
PowerPoint presentation on sustainable rice production presented by Dr. Dustin Harrell at the LSU AgCenter/Kelloggs sustainability meeting on February 8, 2011.
A number of producers, scientists, millers and others in the rice industry have been working on the sustainability initiative through the USA Rice Federation’s Sustainability Task Force.
The LSU AgCenter has recently approved the release of three new varieties for seed and commercial production in 2011. The three include a new jasmine type, a Clearfield long grain and a non-Clearfield medium grain.
The 2010 Louisiana rice crop was one of contrast in weather and, ultimately, in yields. The seeding of rice in southwest Louisiana begins in early March, and this early rice encountered very cool conditions.
LSU AgCenter scientists conduct research in many different disciplines in an ongoing effort to develop new technology to improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of the Louisiana rice industry.
Links to important rice-related information.
Several growth stages help identify critical periods during the life cycle of the rice crop. They are generally separated into stages primarily associated either with vegetative or reproductive development.
The fact that rice and crawfish are both produced in flooded fields during much of the production cycle sets them apart from most other agricultural endeavors in Louisiana.
This publication provides practical information on the use of poultry litter in rice production. Topics covered include poultry litter basics, nutrient content, testing procedures, sources and basic recommendation guidelines.
The LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station was established in 1909 and will celebrate 100 years of technology development for the Louisiana rice industry with its annual field day on July 1. The initial catalyst for the establishment of the research station was the need for new improved varieties for the emerging rice industry in the southwestern portion of the state.
Twenty-five years ago Louisiana was predominantly a medium-grain producing state. In the decade of the 1980s, we planted approximately 65 percent of our acreage in medium-grain varieties, with the reminder seeded to long-grain types. In 2008, Louisiana planted over 95 percent of our acreage in long-grain types.
One of the most important functions of the LSU AgCenter’s Rice Research Station is the production of foundation rice seed. The Rice Research Station produces foundation seed primarily of varieties developed by the station.
Proceedings of Symposium on Current Status of Coastal Wetland Plants Research and Restoration Efforts at the LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station, November 14, 2008. Meeting overview, agenda, presentation abstracts, author information, and list of registered attendees are provided.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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(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(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 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.
LA Farm & Ranch (Nov. 2006) - The history of U.S. rice production - The Carolina Connection.
Rice moves into southwest Louisiana. This article was published in the December 2006 edition of Louisiana Farm & Ranch.
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.
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.
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 (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.
