- Author: Whitney Brim-DeForest
I went out on a few farm calls in the past week, and have noticed a trend. Due to the unusually wet weather this spring, some of the weeds are already producing seed out in the field! This occurs when the field was moist or wet in the spring, and was not tilled or sprayed prior to planting.
If you have weeds that are already setting seed, follow the steps below:
1) First, make sure to get proper identification of the weed species. Some weed species will produce seed and that seed can germinate and send up a second flush of weeds, in the same season! They are:
- Smallflower umbrella sedge
- Mexican sprangletop
NOTE: There are two types of sprangletop: Mexican and Bearded. Only the Mexican sprangletop will set seed that will germinate this season. Bearded sprangletop seed is dormant and won't germinate until the 2018 season.
2) If you have one of the above-listed species that is already setting seed, it is important to make sure that your follow-up herbicide application will control this second flush of germinating seeds. Otherwise, the amount of seed produced and deposited into the seedbank will be exponentially higher than in a normal year, because there will be two generations of plants that set seed in the same season!
3) If you have a weed species setting seed that is NOT listed above, you will likely not be able to do much this year, as the weeds are likely too large to control with herbicide and any impacts on yield have already occurred. Plan to have an aggressive program for next year (2018)!
- Author: Whitney Brim-DeForest
BUTTE®, a rice herbicide, has received federal registration in the USA as well as state registration in California. It will be available to California rice growers for the upcoming 2017 season. Gowan Company, along with SDS Biotech and Nissan have collaborated to bring this product to California rice growers.
BUTTE® is a granular into-the-water herbicide that combines two modes of action: an HPPD-inhibitor (benzobicyclon), and an ALS-inhibitor (halosulfuron). It is the first HPPD-inhibitor available to California rice growers. Since weeds in CA rice have widespread herbicide resistance, BUTTE® offers a new option for resistance management for affected growers, particularly those with herbicide resistant sedges.
BUTTE® offers excellent control of many sedges, broadleaves and grasses. For a complete list of weeds controlled and suppressed, please refer to the herbicide label. BUTTE® is applied early in the season, and requires a 20-day water hold period. As always, growers and applicators should follow all label requirements, to ensure the best weed control, and to prevent the development of resistance.
There will only be enough product available for 2017 to treat approximately 50,000 acres, so growers interested in purchasing BUTTE® this season should talk to their Pest Control Adviser and the retail location where they normally purchase rice pesticides.
The University of California Davis Weed Science Program has been working with Gowan to research BUTTE® over the last several years. Studies on the weed control spectrum and timing began with Dr. Albert Fischer's program, and research on rates and formulations have continued under Dr. Kassim Al-Khatib. The UC Weed Program will continue to look at herbicide combinations that best compliment BUTTE® this year. The trials will be available for viewing at the 2017 Rice Field Day.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Dr. Godfrey was internationally acclaimed for his research on rice and cotton. He was heavily involved in developing IPM to maintain the sustainability of California agriculture, seeking “to reduce the ‘footprint' of agriculture on the environment and society, and to advance the science of entomology and applied insect ecology.”
At UC Davis, he taught arthropod pest management and agricultural entomology. He developed IPM strategies for not only rice and cotton but for such field and vegetable crops as alfalfa, dry beans, timothy grass, melons, mint and onions.
A member of the entomology department since April 1991, Dr. Godfrey served as its vice chair in 2008, and also that year, as president of the Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America.
“Larry was an outstanding contributor to the department, not only as a researcher and teacher, but also in the effective ways that he connected with clientele through outreach,” said Steve Nadler, professor and chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. “He was a member of our department's Executive Committee and I could always count on Larry for sound advice.”
“Being the two Davis faculty with agricultural entomology extension duties, Larry and I shared a lot over the last 25 years and he was my closest colleague in our department when he passed today,” said Extension entomologist and distinguished professor Frank Zalom, an IPM specialist and a past president of the Entomological Society of America. “I've always respected him for being quiet and humble despite his many accomplishments. He filled the shoes of several faculty members who retired before he came to Davis and he did his job exceptionally well. It's hard for me to imagine not having him nearby as the go-to entomologist for field crops, although his research, extension, and, most importantly his graduate students, will serve as his legacy for years to come.”
Said professor Jay Rosenheim: “Larry was a researcher who always placed the farmer's needs first. This is why he was so highly valued by California's growers of rice, alfalfa, cotton, and vegetable crops, and why his research program grew and grew over his years at Davis. He was also an excellent communicator, and epitomized the role of researcher/educator in the Land-Grant system. Despite his illness, he continued to work tirelessly on his pest management research, refusing to compromise on his commitments. His dedication to our profession was truly remarkable.”
Yolo County Farm Advisor Rachael Long, who collaborated with Dr. Godfrey on dry bean research, said: “He was an incredibly dedicated field crop entomologist and terrific colleague with team spirit, and his loss leaves a big hole in our lives and I'll miss him.”
“What I admired about Larry was his stoicism,” said former graduate student Mohammad-Amir Aghaee, now a postdoctoral fellow at North Carolina State University. “Nothing seemed to wear down his resolve.”
Dr. Godfrey, born July 7, 1956, grew up on an Indiana farm. He received two entomology degrees from Purdue University, West Layfayette: his bachelor's degree in 1978 and his master's degree in 1980. He earned his doctorate in entomology in 1984 from the University of Kentucky, Lexington, studying with major professor Kenneth Yeargan. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, Sigma Xi and Gamma Sigma Delta.
Said Yeargan: "As I stated in my letter of recommendation for Larry many years ago when he applied for the position at UC Davis, Larry was an outstanding 'synthesizer' of information. He had a knack for looking at a problem, thinking through all the ramifications, and coming up with logical, practical ways to approach the problem – and usually finding a solution. He will be missed by many." It was at the University of Kentucky where Larry met his wife-to-be, Kris, then a postdoctoral scholar.
Dr. Godfrey began his career as a product development specialist for Union Carbide Agricultural Products Co., Inc., Research Triangle, N.C., before joining the University of Nebraska's Department of Entomology from July 1987 to March 1991 as a research associate.
“Growing up on a farm in Indiana, I saw first-hand the ‘battles' that farmers and homeowners face trying to produce crops and grow landscape plants in competition with insects,” Dr. Godfrey recalled in an earlier interview. “I became fascinated with insects through the typical ‘bug-in-a-jar' hobby. A county Natural Resources Field Day cultivated my interest in entomology and this led to enrollment in the 4-H entomology project. By the time I was several years into the 4-H project, I was transporting a dozen wooden collection boxes full of pinned insects to the county fair.”
“My first summer job involved surveying for Japanese beetles as they progressed across Indiana. This was an invasive insect in the Midwest in the mid-1970s; this same insect is of serious concern now in California an invasive pest that could damage many crops—such as grapes—and ornamentals—such as roses.”
Dr. Godfrey was one of 24 founding members of the California Invasive Species Advisory Committee, appointed by then Secretary A.G. Kawamura of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, to recommend “ways to mitigate non-native species' effects on resources throughout the state.” The goal: to protect California's environment, food systems, human health and economy from invasive and destructive pests, plants and diseases.
At UC Davis, Dr. Godfrey zeroed in on invasive insect and mite pests such as silverleaf whitefly, panicle rice mite, and rice water weevil. In addition, he targeted scores of pests, including alfalfa weevils, blue alfalfa aphids, spotted cucumber beetles, and two-spotted spider mites. He researched plant response to insect injury, refining economic thresholds.He also researched various pest management tactics, including biological control, reduced risk insecticides, mating disruption, cultural control, and host plant resistance.
Highly respected by his peers, Dr. Godfrey received the Excellence in IPM Award in 2005 from the Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America (PBESA), followed by the PBESA Distinguished Achievement Award in Extension in 2010. Nationally, he was elected chair of ESA's Section F (crop protection) in 2002.
For many years, he served as the advisor to the UC Davis Linnaean Games teams, which won regional (PBESA) and national (ESA) championships in college-bowl type competitions involving insect questions. He himself was on the championship 1983 University of Kentucky team, the second annual Linnaean Games in the North Central Branch of ESA “where it all started,” he said. “It was a few years before the other branches started this competition and several years before they did it at the national meeting.”
As part of his Extension work, Dr. Godfrey wrote publications, regularly met with growers, and delivered scientific talks at workshops. He addressed the annual California Rice Field Day for 25 years and also spoke at alfalfa IPM workshops, among others. He was a subject editor for the Journal of Cotton Science and the Journal of Integrated Pest Management. In addition, Dr. Godfrey served on many departmental, college and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources committees.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, April 29 in Salem, Ind. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to pet rescue groups or groups that support young people interested in entomology or agriculture. A memorial and celebration of his life will take place at UC Davis in the near future. 
- Author: Whitney Brim-DeForest
In the past year, the California rice industry has begun to deal with a new pest: “weedy rice”, also known as “red rice”. Weedy rice is a common weed in rice-growing regions of the world, and when infestations are high, it can significantly reduce yields. In the southern USA, losses have been as high as 60% when uncontrolled. In 2016, through the efforts and cooperation of rice growers and Pest Control Advisors, weedy rice has been identified on over 10,000 acres in Butte, Glenn, Colusa, Sutter, Yuba, Placer and Yolo counties. Although 10,000 acres may sound like a lot, it is still only a small percentage of the total rice acreage in California (about 2%).
What makes "weedy rice" unique is that it is the same species as domesticated rice (both are Oryza sativa L.). This means that growers can only control weedy rice through non-chemical means, since any herbicides applied to control the weedy rice will also kill the crop. In the California rice cropping system, where chemicals are the primary method of weed control, growers can use cultural practices such as as a stale seedbed before the rice season. However, this can delay planting by as much as a month. Alternatively, growers can fallow or rotate with another crop, and if the infestations is high, this may be the best option. During the growing season, if weedy rice is found in the field, the only option that growers currently have is to hand-pull it out.
How does a grower know if they have weedy rice? Weedy rice can be identified before flowering, when all grass-control herbicides have been applied:
- If grassy weeds remain in the field, check for an auricle and ligule (see photo below).
- If none are present, then the grassy weed is likely a watergrass species.
- If an auricle and ligule are present, it may be weedy rice, and it is time to get help with identification. A PCA or UCCE Rice Advisor should be able to assist in identification.
Once rice has headed (produced seed), weedy rice panicles and the panicle of the crop will look similar, so growers should look for any that are different than the planted variety. Again, a PCA or UCCE Rice Advisor can assist in identification. If the field is a certified seed field, then the California Crop Improvement Association (CCIA) should be called to identify the suspect plants.
Many growers have asked why it is important to control weedy rice, since weedy rice is still rice, and therefore, edible. There are a number of ways that weedy rice can impact rice production:
1) Reducing milling quality: Due to the extra milling required to remove the red-colored bran, the number of cracked and broken kernels will increase, therefore decreasing the value and the price paid to the rice grower. If the rice is to be milled and sold as brown rice, large amounts of red bran can reduce the milling yield significantly.
2) Hybridization with domesticated varieties: Weedy rice can cross with domesticated varieties in the field. If there is a high number of weedy plants in a field, the odds that this will occur is even greater. The hybrids (between weedy rice and domesticated varieties) may have different characteristic than their parents (more vigorous growth, for example).
3) Yield decreases: Since weedy rice shatters (falls off of the panicle before harvest), once the population reaches a critical threshold in the field, yields can decrease significantly.
4) Weed management cost: Weedy rice cannot be managed by chemical means. Therefore, any control efforts have to be through cultural practices. One of the most effective methods is to hand-pull it out of the field. Labor, as we all know, is very expensive.
Weedy rice is a manageable pest in California rice, but it will only be possible through the joint efforts of rice growers, PCA's and members of the rice industry. It will take accurate identification in the field, as well as timely and sustained control efforts in the field.
Weedy Rice Best Management Practices 2016
- Author: Whitney Brim-DeForest
The 1st Annual Rice Weed Course will take place:
Friday, September 16, 2016
from 8:30AM to 4:15PM (Registration begins at 8:00AM)
at the
Hamilton Road Field (on West Hamilton Rd. between Hwy. 99 & Riceton Hwy.)
and Rice Experiment Station, Biggs, CA
The day will begin with an interactive tour of the Weed Science research plots at Hamilton Road. Participants will also spend time learning about weed identification for important rice weeds both at emergence and at heading. Presentations will cover emerging pests of rice, such as weedy red rice and winged-leaf primrose willow. Attendees will hear about new pesticide registrations and updates to current pesticides, as well as information regarding the new Butte herbicide. This course is also a great opportunity to interact directly with the UCCE and UC Davis Rice Weed Research Team!
For a full agenda and registration go to:
http://wric.ucdavis.edu/events/rice_weed_course_2016.html
For questions, please contact Whitney Brim-DeForest at 530-822-7515, or by email at wbrimdeforest@ucanr.edu
Credits for PCA, QAC, QAL, Private Applicator, and CA Certified Crop Adviser are pending.
