UC Rice Blog

Rice seed midge damage was first officially recorded in California rice production in 1953, and this pest is actually a number of different species that are frequently lumped together in terms of defining them as a pest. Midges are some of the first colonizers of freshly flooded rice fields.

Stem rot is a common disease of rice that can cause blanking and lodging. When the disease is severe, the presence and effects of the disease on yield can be obvious. However, at lower levels, the symptoms and effects of the disease may fly under the radar.

Every year, the University of California Cooperative Extension, in cooperation with the Rice Experiment Station (RES), conducts rice variety trials in several locations of the Sacramento Valley (fig. 1).

In California, most acreage is devoted to high quality medium grain varieties. In 2023, over 94% of the acreage was grown to medium grains.

Background White water fire (Bergia capensis) was found in September of 2023, by the Butte County Agricultural Commissioner's office in a rice field in Butte County. The weed was identified by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.