2019 Annual Rice Grower Meetings

Sponsored by UC Cooperative Extension

-------------- 5 Locations --------------

WHERE & WHEN

Richvale:   Thursday, Jan. 17, 8:30am, Evangelical Church, 5219 Church St., Richvale

Glenn:    Thursday, Jan. 17, 1:30pm, Glenn Pheasant Hall, 1522 Hwy 45, south of Glenn

Colusa: Friday, Jan. 18, 8:30am, Colusa Casino Resort, 3770 Hwy 45, Colusa

Marysville: Friday, Jan 18, 1:30pm, Yuba County Government Center, 915 8th St. Marysville

Woodland: Tuesday, Jan. 22, 8:30am, Cracchiolo's Market, 1320 E. Main St. Woodland

TIME:    Doors open at 8:00 am and meetings start at 8:30 am at Richvale, Colusa, and Woodland.

                Doors open at 1:00 pm and meetings start at 1:30 pm at Glenn and Marysville.

Program

8:00 a.m. (1:00 p.m.) Doors open, sign‐in, coffee

8:30 a.m. (1:30 p.m.) Call meeting to order

California Rice Commission Referendum – Tim Johnson, CRC 

8:50 a.m. (1:50 p.m.) Rice Research Board Nominations – Dana Dickey, Rice Research Board

9:00 a.m. (2:00 p.m.) Rice Pesticide and Regulatory Update – County Ag Commissioner 

9:15 a.m. (2:15 p.m.) Weedy Rice and Emerging Weed Issues – Whitney Brim‐DeForest, UCCE

9:35 a.m. (2:35 p.m.) Arthropod and Disease Update – Luis Espino, UCCE

10:05 a.m. (3:05 p.m.) Season Review and Fertility Update – Bruce Linquist, UCCE 

10:35 a.m. (3:35 p.m.) Weed Control Update – Kassim Al‐Khatib, UCCE 

11:05 a.m. (4:05 p.m.) — ADJOURN —

****Applied for DPR and CCA CE credits****

Today I visited two fields with large moth numbers (Hwy 45 and White Rd, and Hwy 45 at Knights Landing). On the White Rd field, where the traps caught about 80 armyworm moths per night last week, I found at least one worm in all stops I made (about 10). The worms were small. I did not see any injury. On the Knights Landing field, I found worms in half the stops. These were small worms as well, and I did not see any injury.

I found that the best way to find the worms was to open the canopy, shake the plants vigorously over the water for about 5 seconds, and then look for worms floating in the water. 

I would not recommend a treatment in these fields, since I saw no injury. As these worms grow bigger, they may start feeding on panicles. Keep a close eye, and if you start noticing the typical armyworm panicle injury (broken branches) and the worms are still there, a treatment may be needed.

It's that time again! If you would like to submit seeds for herbicide resistance testing, many weed species will be maturing right about now.

The UCCE Rice Weeds Program tests grower submitted seed samples of potentially herbicide resistant watergrass species, sprangletop, smallflower umbrella sedge and bulrush. However, we encourage you to submit ANY species that you suspect to be resistant. We keep individual grower information confidential and any reporting of results will not identify individual growers.

Please fill out the form (linked here) for each weed seed sample (each field and/or species). The following tips will ensure that you receive the best possible results:

• The best timing of collection is when the seed easily falls off the seed head by gentle agitation in a paper bag (see video for demonstration):

o   For watergrass species, this should be close to rice harvest (seeds should be brownish in color)

o   For sprangletop, timing will be earlier, in August or September (seeds will appear greenish)

o   For the sedges, timing may be as early as July, all the way through early September

o   Smallflower umbrella sedge seed is yellow, with brown hulls (looks like dust)

o   Bulrush (roughseed) seeds are black and has small hairs

• Seed should be collected from areas that you know have been sprayed with the suspected herbicide.
• Collect seeds from multiple plants, and the amount should be at least a few handfuls of seed, to ensure sufficient quantity for testing.
• Please do not collect seed from around field margins.
• Allow seed to dry in the paper bag to prevent molding.

Bring the sample and form to your local UCCE Farm Advisor or send or drop off samples at the Rice Experiment Station (RES) in Biggs. If you need assistance in collection, please contact your Farm Advisor or PCA. Results should be emailed to you in March of 2019.

I have been to several farm calls in the past few weeks with this weed (pictured below). I have seen 7 fields between last year and this year that appear to have bad infestations of this new watergrass species (Echinochloa spp.). We are unsure of the exact identification yet, but we know it is in the watergrass family.

The weed is maturing around mid- to late-July. It is small-seeded, and the awns are long and purple. All of the plants I have seen so far have seed heads that are completely awned, which makes it different than barnyardgrass (which has seed heads that are variably-awned).

How to ID:

o   Every seed head has awns (unlike barnyardgrass)

o   Should already be headed (by mid- to late-July)

o   Awns are purplish in color (see photos)

o   Seeds are small (smaller than late watergrass)

Please call Whitney Brim-Deforest (541-292-1553) or Luis Espino (530-635-6234), if you suspect that you have this weed in your field. We would like to collect seed samples to see what can be done to control it. 

Photo 1. Seed head of unknown watergrass species (Echinochloa spp.) Notice visible purple awns.

Photo 2. Seed heads of unknown watergrass species (Echinochloa spp.) Notice visible purple awns, which can be seed before seeds are fully mature.

Photo 3. Full plant sample of unknown watergrass species (Echinochloa spp.). This plant headed in late July.