Texas Rice - Texas A&M AgriLIFE Research Center at Beaumont ...

From
the
Editor...
For many rice producers,
red rice ranks up there
with the Farm Bill and foreign
import restrictions as
their greatest challenge.
What is so unique about red
rice, that makes its management
in commercial rice so very different from management
of other weeds in rice or the management of
other weeds in other crops, is its genetics. In a nutshell,
red rice and commercial rice are, practically
speaking, the same species.
All of us have seen the classical “bull-red” ecotype,
with hairy spikelets and hulls, red bran, easily shattering
panicles, dormant seed, late maturity, and tall stature.
But, fewer are aware that red rice ecotypes can
vary from the easily distinguishable “bull-red”
ecotypes to ecotypes whose grain and growth characteristics
blend in with many of our commercial varieties.
Why are there so many types of red rice and why
are some of the red rice ecotypes so similar to commercial
rice varieties?
Because red rice and commercial rice are so closely
related, they can cross and produce hybrids that have
characteristics of both plants. The extreme variation
in red rice ecotypes is a result of natural crosses that
have occurred in thousands of rice fields across the
U.S. throughout the years. A small percent of pollen
from red rice plants fertilize a few of the flowers on
adjacent commercial rice plants, and a small percent
of pollen from commercial varieties fertilize a few of
the flowers on adjacent red rice plants. Over time, some
of the naturally produced crosses have crossed with
nearby red rice plants, some in turn have crossed with
nearby commercial rice plants. After a hundred or so
years of rice production, this has resulted in a wide
range of red rice ecotypes. Texas A&M University scientists
have identified over 200 distinct red rice
ecotypes. Were the researchers able to sample each
and every rice field in Texas, the actual number of red
rice ecotypes would likely be several times higher.
The major difference between commercial rice and
any single red rice ecotype can be explained by a handfull
or two of genes that regulate the previously mentioned
plant characteristics. In other words, the
difference between red rice and a commercial rice variety
is not that much greater than the difference between
two commercial US rice varieties. This genetics
similarity is the crux of the problem with using herbicides
to manage red rice in commercial rice. If an herbicide
were applied to control red rice, it would also
kill the commercial rice.
Through the years, rice producers have suppressed
red rice using a range of management approaches.
These include rice-fallow-fallow rotation, rotations
with other crops, “mudding” fields in the fall or spring
to kill dormant seeds, and by not planting on land that
historically has had a severe red rice problem. The pervasive
nature of red rice has had a tremendous influence
on the evolution of rice production practices in
the US. If it were not for red rice, it is quite conceivable
that a much greater percentage of rice would be
grown in a tighter rotation. This change alone would
tremendously change the economics of rice land use
and rice production in Texas.
The management of red rice is on the verge of entering
a new era. This revolutionary change can be
traced to the discovery of a few herbicide tolerant rice
plants. Researchers at the Louisiana State University
were able to successfully cross these abnormal rice
plants with commercial varieties, creating new varieties
that can be treated with ‘imi’ or Newpath herbicide
without killing the rice. In the past, a rice producer
risked killing his commercial rice if he attempted to
treat the red rice. The herbicide tolerant rice will now
allow red rice control without harming the commercial
rice.
This new tool in our weed management arsenal
has tremendous potential benefit to the rice industry.
But as with any new technology, herbicide tolerant rice
poses some unique challenges. Because red rice and
continued on back page
Inside This Issue
Cover Story
Red Rice: Classification, Containment and Control
Extension in the News: Arlen Klosterboer .........................3
Grower Profile: Bill Kondo ................................................5
Researcher in theNews: Garry McCauley .........................7
Industry Update ..................................................................9
Highlighting Research and Funding ................................14
State, National and International News ............................15
Rice Crop Update .............................................................16
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