Chairman's Report - 93


 
 

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Rice Research Board Chairman, Steve Dennis

 

A quarter century ago the rice farmers of this state embarked upon an ambitious and hopeful mission: to invest in the future growth and stability of their industry through research into this essential commodity. After 25 years I can say without reservation that our investment has succeeded in providing handsome returns - both in enhancing the profitability of rice fanning and in ensuring a safe and healthful environment in which to raise our families. With improving domestic and foreign markets it's not surprising that the number of fields in production took a dramatic leap from 370,000 acres in 1992 to 437,000 acres last year. Statewide rice yields matched the previous year's average of 8,300 pounds per acre, an impressive figure attributable to a number of factors.

Foremost among these must be the procession of new public rice varieties adapted to the many challenges of California growing conditions and the increasingly global marketplace. The team of scientists at the Rice Experiment Station in Biggs continues to lay the groundwork for future improvements on a number of fronts. Rice varieties from Europe and Asia are being tapped for the genes that may transfer improved seedling vigor, resistance to disease and insects and other factors that ultimately affect yield. Work continues on short, medium and long grains, as well as important premium quality cooking characteristics.

While RES plant breeders concentrate on bringing important new genes into California-adapted public rice varieties, USDA geneticists based at UC Davis are at work "mapping" rice genes with high-tech laboratory procedures. In the Genetics section you will learn that we are moving rapidly toward the identification of genes for stem rot resistance and seedling vigor.

Once important genes have been successfully transferred, promising new experimental lines must face the acid test of field evaluation under actual growing conditions. In the Variety Trials section of this report you will find results from last year's on-farm rice variety evaluation trials conducted throughout the rice growing regions of California. Several advanced and preliminary breeding lines showed promise in improved yields and other agronomic characteristics over existing varieties. In addition, several experiments were conducted on nitrogen and potassium fertility and straw management-nitrogen effects.

Researchers are at work in several different projects dealing with the protection of rice from pests. Weed control suddenly became more complex two years ago when the first Londax®-resistant weeds appeared. Scientists and industry representatives monitoring the situation have confirmed that the phenomenon is spreading throughout the rice-growing regions of the state. Experiments with drill-seeding show that this practice may afford some broadleaf and sedge weed control but at the expense of more watergrass problems. In any event, growers must exercise renewed diligence in developing a successful weed control strategy.

In a relatively new project scientists are studying the dynamics between several different types of weeds and rice. Their goal is to develop two different computer models to predict rice-weed growth and competition. They emphasize the need for early control of weeds to give rice a critical competitive advantage in preserving a full stand of rice tillers.

The rice water weevil infestation was characterized as "moderately low" last year. In their research on methods of controlling this chronic pest, entomologists report on the effectiveness of formulations of carbofuran and a possible biological insecticide effective on RWW. They also looked at rice plant response to RWW damage under flooded and drill- seeded conditions.

Plant pathologists working on disease control confirm that the ecology of the microscopic organisms existing in rice fields is changing in those fields where straw is incorporated rather than burned. These researchers report successful attempts to control stem rot with a fungus called Sclerotium hydrophylum. However, they suggest that methods to enhance their natural populations may be more effective than field applications.

A thorough understanding of the chemistry, physics and biology of pesticides important to rice culture is essential. Environmental toxicologists continue their work on analytical techniques that show the rate of pesticide degradation can be measured by a substance naturally present in field water. They also found that a breakdown byproduct of Bolero® is probably responsible for recently observed stunting in Central Valley rice and that the injury may be related to straw incorporation and continuous flooding. Environmental toxicologists also report on pesticides in the ultrathin "microlayer" or film on the surface of field water, a new study on the disposition of copper from bluestone applications, and a novel method for detecting and measuring fluorine-containing pesticides.

The importance of developing new strategies for dealing with rice straw cannot be overstated. Three separate projects are addressing the straw issue from different perspectives. One is an ongoing study of the interaction between straw decomposition and the use of purple vetch as a green manure crop. A related project concerns attempts by agricultural engineers to measure how different incorporation methods Act soil properties. The third straw-related project is building a database that characterizes the chemical composition, fermentability and gross energy of more than 50 rice varieties.

Scientists at the USDA's Western Regional Research Center in Albany are working on several projects that may improve market demand for rice. Research is continuing on rice bran - specifically efforts to determine optimal storage conditions and ongoing analysis of the cholesterol-reducing properties of rice. They also report new strides in improving the taste, texture and cooking quality of rice pasta.

Another fascinating area of product utilization research concerns the study of rice-derived proteinase inhibitors -compounds that retard the breakdown of animal protein. Scientists in the UC Davis Department of Food Science and Technology are continuing their work on several of these proteinase inhibitors, which seafood processors use in the manufacture of surimi (the main component of artificial crabmeat).

There is an art to growing rice and farmers now have a new tool at their disposal to help them manage the science behind it. It's called CALEX/Rice, an "expert system" computer software program that will guide growers through their decision-making process before, during and after the season. Read about it in this report, then check with your UC farm advisor or the UC Integrated Pest Management Project for more information.

Final results are back from the in-depth study of the respiratory health of California rice farmers. On the whole, we are a fairly healthy group. Rice farmers don't smoke as much as the general population and therefore show fewer smoking-related symptoms. Furthermore, we show normal or above-normal pulmonary function. However, an increase in physician-diagnosed asthma and hayfever may be related to occupational exposures such as field-preparation activities. Medical researchers suggest further studies and advise us to take protective measures such as enclosed-cab farm machinery and personal respiratory protective equipment to minimize dust exposure.

The Agricultural Burn Program continues to prove itself an effective method of managing increasingly limited burning of rice straw and stubble. Last year saw the legislatively mandated phase down in allowable acreage burned increase to 20 percent; in 1994 it will be 30 percent. A total of just under 108,000 acres were burned last year.

That's a quick overview of what you will find in this year's 25th annual Report to the California Rice Growers. I hope that you enjoy reading about the research funded through the Rice Research Board. Your comments about the success and direction of our research are always welcome. I trust that you feel, as I do, that your investment in the future of California rice farming is paying off with well-earned dividends for our industry and our communities, now and into the next century.

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