USA
March 26, 2020
Rice farmers in the Upper Delta (Arkansas, Mississippi and Missouri) are getting anxious because of the extremely wet conditions this season, especially with 2019 having wreaked havoc on rice planting. With 2019 close in the rear-view mirror and current saturated soil conditions, many farmers may be more likely to consider water seeding. If you’re one of those, consider the following as you finalize your planting decisions.
Our first suggestion is to remember that water seeding in cool conditions can create problems for stand density due to water mold. Furthermore, water-seeded rice typically gains you about 10 days in maturity. Finally, you can water-seed a lot more acres in a day than you can drill seed. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with planning for water seeding, but consider holding off until we get later in the optimum drill-seeded window. In other words, if wet weather persists after April 15, then you can make a firm decision on water seeding rather than drill seeding.
Seeding Rates
If the decision is made to water-seed, Horizon Ag Provisia® varieties PVL01 and PVL02 are more likely to be planted in fields that are easier to water-seed. A large majority of the most problematic weedy-rice infested fields where the Provisia Rice System is being introduced are on zero grade fields. Provisia seed sales are up dramatically this year, as more farmers are turning to the Provisia Rice System to control the imidazolinone herbicide-tolerant rice that’s threatening their profitability, as well as adding a new mode of action to allow for long-term weed resistance management. We feel comfortable with a seeding rate of 30 seeds per square foot for presoaked, fungicide-treated seed for PVL01 and PVL02, which is equivalent to 60-65 pounds of seed per acre.
Secondly, the reduced prices in 2020 for proven, top-performing Horizon Ag Clearfield® varieties like CL111, CL151 and CL153 may make it more appealing to water-seed. CL111 and CL153 have industry leading blast tolerance and produce high yields with excellent milling quality. CL151 has been counted on for years to produce excellent yields and milling quality. The reduction in price allows for a water seeded rate that is comfortable while also allowing the use of Clearfield Production System herbicides for grass and red rice control. For Clearfield long grain varieties, 70-80 pounds per acre of presoaked, fungicide-treated seed is sufficient. Finally, for our new medium grain Clearfield variety CLM04, 80-90 pounds per acre of presoaked, fungicide-treated seed is recommended. The table below shows the approximate seeding rate in pounds per acre to achieve the targeted seeding rate in seeds per square foot.
For more questions about planting and managing water seeded rice, please reach out to your Horizon Ag field representative. We look forward to working with you.
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