At Rice Field Day, AgCenter Debuts Two Promising New Varieties
OLIVIA MCCLURE
CROWLEY, LOUISIANA
New varieties are one of the best ways farmers can stay ahead of the many challenges that come with growing rice. Next year, they’ll be able to plant two fresh releases from the LSU AgCenter that address key disease and grain quality issues.
The varieties – Suivant and LA22-1082 – were unveiled June 24 at the 117th annual field day at the AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station near Crowley. Attendees of the event got to head into the field with scientists to see variety development plots firsthand and to hear presentations on other facets of rice production and research.
Pair of varieties offers new options
Suivant, a conventional long-grain variety, bears strong resemblance to a popular release called Avant, said Adam Famoso, station director and rice breeder. Both have good milling quality, reach heading and maturity early and have good ratoon, or second, crop potential.
“We see slight improvements on the first crop potential with Suivant, but one of the biggest benefits of this variety over Avant is the blast resistance,” Famoso said. “Avant is one of the few varieties that we still have released by the AgCenter that is susceptible to some form of the blast disease. In a year like this where we see a lot of blast pressure, the option of Suivant will be a big benefit to producers.”
The other new release, LA22-1082, is a Clearfield long-grain variety.
“It has excellent grain appearance, very low chalk, very long grain,” Famoso said. “It’s shown excellent milling and, most importantly, exceptional yields. In four years of our testing across the state, it’s been our top-yielding line.”
The variety ratoons well and is taller, which boosts its tolerance of sheath blight disease. It also generates more biomass, a positive for rice farmers who rotate fields to crawfish production.
Breeding for Louisiana conditions, global markets
When coming up with new varieties, breeders have to choose priorities from a long list of desired improvements – from higher yields and early maturity to disease resistance and certain cooking characteristics. Louisiana’s variable climate adds another layer of complexity.
“Every year is either the wettest, the driest, the coolest, the hottest, the most disease – so the biggest challenges are probably the fluctuations in the environment and knowing what type of environment we’re trying to breed for with the changes from year to year,” Famoso said.
In addition to helping solve problems that Louisiana growers encounter in the field, breeders also consider whether potential varieties will appeal to important markets worldwide.
“You need people willing to buy and you want to get the best price you can,” Famoso said.
Different markets have unique preferences. A large share of Louisiana-grown rice is exported to Latin America and the Caribbean, where consumers prefer the texture of rice with high amylose content.
Crop is early, has endured weather ‘roller coaster’
Farmers planted about 420,000 acres of rice in Louisiana this year, down from 470,000 last year, said AgCenter rice specialist Tyler Musgrove. The drop in acreage has mostly taken place in northeastern parishes.
“Commodity prices are very low. Input costs are very high,” he said. “It’s just made it not economical for many producers to produce rice this year. Northeast Louisiana has more choices to plant different commodities when market conditions favor one over the other.”
The majority of Louisiana rice is grown in the southwestern portion of the state, where the crop is now developing grain heads and nearing maturity. Warm, dry weather in late February and early March allowed many farmers to plant ahead of schedule, so Musgrove expects harvest to begin around the Fourth of July, which is earlier than usual.
Favorable early-season conditions also helped with weed control, and pressure has been lower this year. But as the season progressed, rice farmers found themselves on a “roller coaster of environmental trends,” Musgrove said.
“We started to get into more overcast weather, and cooler weather came in, which also impacted the rice early on,” he said. “Then, of course, we’ve recently had significant rain come through the central part of the state.”
Clouds and rain have led to reduced solar radiation and a shorter-than-average rice crop.
Speakers praise AgCenter research
At an indoor program following the field tours, leaders of the AgCenter, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry and various industry groups praised the research programs on display at the event. They noted the strong partnerships among their organizations and the effectiveness of Louisiana’s rice checkoff program, which is funded by farmer contributions and generates dollars for research.
This unique setup allows for a timely, cohesive response when the industry faces threats such as the rice delphacid, an invasive insect that has been found in Louisiana.
“When you have everybody at the table, we can expedite those efforts so we can move forward and protect the industry that’s so important to southwest Louisiana,” said Richard Fontenot, a rice farmer who serves as president of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation.
Working together also helps develop superior varieties that give Louisiana producers a leg up in global trade, Fontenot said.
“This AgCenter, this research station is providing the tools so we can produce as producers, and then the end users have the product that they want,” he said.
LSU Chancellor Jim Dalton, attending his first field day, was impressed by the work at the station. A drug discovery scientist by training, he said he found parallels between his career and that of AgCenter researchers: identifying a problem, searching for a solution, testing it and refining it until an answer is found.
“When I hear about the research going on on varieties, on plant disease, on weeds, on entomology, it’s a perfect example of what we need to do across LSU to achieve access and excellence,” Dalton said, referring a theme he and LSU President Wade Rousse have drawn on in promoting their vision for the university system.
Matt Lee, senior vice chancellor of the AgCenter and dean of the College of Agriculture, told the crowd that “we’re about to double down on the advancement and adoption of state-of-the-art technologies” to help farmers become more efficient and more competitive on the world stage.
“You’re going to hear more about AI,” he said. “That’s not artificial intelligence; it’s agricultural intelligence. We’re going to lead the nation in advancing this work on behalf of the industry.”
Louisiana’s rice industry has a $1.5 billion to $2 billion economic impact every year, said Mike Salassi, director of the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station.
“Rice production remains a major economic driver in this region as well as across the state, and rice research continues to be a priority at the LSU AgCenter,” he said.
Two industry giants honored
The field day was dedicated to Ronnie Levy, who retired earlier this year as AgCenter rice specialist. Levy’s 43-year career also included stints as a 4-H agent, soybean specialist and coordinator of the Louisiana Master Farmer Program.
Jackie Loewer, a rice, soybean and crawfish producer from Acadia Parish, was named the inaugural Champion of Rice Research. He has been active with the Rice Research Board and other organizations supporting the industry. ∆
OLIVIA MCCLURE
LSU AGCENTER