Planting is starting to pick up now that water allocations are known. One of the first pest problems one is going to find in recently flooded rice fields is tadpole shrimp (TPS). Most of the time, when muddy water or uprooted plants are observed, it means the TPS are large and probably already done quite a bit of damage. Young TPS are hard to detect; because of their size they might not cause mudding of the water. However, look carefully to see if you can spot them. Small TPS, when their shell is about half the size of a rice seed, can injure rice roots as they emerge from the seed; they have a hard time chewing on the coleoptile that emerges first from the seed. Larger TPS, when their shell is about the size of a rice seed, are capable of feeding on the coleoptile and roots, and can dislodge seedlings easily. 

Look carefully, there are other bugs that can be confused with small TPS, such as small beetles and clam shrimp. Small TPS look just like fully grown TPS. The very first TPS instars do not look quite like TPS, but those are really hard to spot, and do not feed on rice seedlings anyway. Here's a few images.

TPS eggs

TPS first instars next to eggs

Second or third TPS instar

Small TPS

TPS mandibles

TPS mandibles

By California Rice Commission

http://www.calricenews.org/2015/03/11/water-allocations-challenged-by-another-disappointing-winter/

We are in regular contact with the Northern California Water Association and area water managers to assess likely impacts from year four of the drought.

The latest information continues to point towards reductions in available surface water supplies throughout the Sacramento Valley.  When the official announcements are made in the coming weeks, the Sacramento River settlement contracts currently point to a 75 percent supply, although there could be a sticking point in this dry year with the timing and amount of water needed for salmon runs in the Sacramento River.  Regarding Feather River settlement contracts, signs currently point to a 50 percent water delivery. The Yuba River situation is close to last year, although dry conditions in recent weeks provide a significant challenge for water supplies in Yuba County. A nearly full reservoir is helpful for South Sutter, although the lack of a snowpack will likely keep surface water deliveries at about one acre-foot per acre. The Bureau of Reclamation has announced a zero allocation for surface supplies along the Tehama-Colusa Canal. In many areas, groundwater pumping will increase due to lack of surface supplies.

Hope remains that a few late season storms will improve water storage and the inflow into reservoirs, which in turn could help with water supplies.

We will continue to closely monitor the water outlook and provide frequent updates as more information becomes available. We also continue to impress the need of additional water storage through construction of Sites Reservoir to help in future dry years.

Stored Product Insect Pest Management in Rice Mills and Storage Facilities

Workshop

Optimizing Insect Control and Grain Quality

Sponsored by University of California Cooperative Extension and Lundberg Family Farms

 April 7, 2015

9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Lundberg Family Farms

5311 Midway

Richvale, CA 95974

We would like to invite you to attend an exciting and informative workshop on rice storage and mill insect pest management. The workshop is organized by the research team of the Post-Harvest Grain Management Project, which was funded by the United States Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture Grants Program. The team consists of several scientists with many years experience in the subject of pest management in stored grains and storage and milling facilities.

The workshop will focus on pest management in rice mills as well as in storage bins. Major topics include: 1) Current status and challenges of rice grain insect pest management; 2) Integrated pest management programs; 3) Monitoring and dynamics of storage insect pests inside and around rice mills; 4) Structural treatments, residual insecticides, and aeration; 5) Economics of storage rice insect pest control; and 6) Integrated storage rice insect pest management and tool delivery.

Program 

Register on-line at http://ucanr.edu/2015ricemillworkshop

Registration is free. Please register before April 1^st to ensure participation. Seats will be filled on a first-come basis. Lunch will be provided. 

****Applied for DPR CE credits****

For more information, contact Luis Espino, University of California Cooperative Extension (530-458-0578, laespino@ucanr.edu) or Jim Stewart, Lundberg Family Farms (530-538-3500).

Looks like the water situation this year will be a repeat of last year. Here is a video published last year regarding water use in rice and ways to improve water management.