Recently, there have been several rice straw bale fires and there could be more. CALFIRE suspects the cause is the higher moisture in the straw at the time of baling due to the lack of north winds during harvest and baling. They recomend growers monitor the temperature of the bales that are stacked inside barns or close to building or other improvements.

Below is an article that CALFIRE shared with us and is a good resource on how to monitor the bales and what to do in case a fire occurs:

Preventing Fires in Baled Hay and Straw – Ag Safety and Health - Extension

Picture from KRCR website covering the fires

The annual Rice Field Day will be Wednesday, August 31, 2022, at the Rice Experiment Station (RES), Biggs, California. We cordially invite you and your associates to join us for this event. The purpose of the Rice Field Day is to allow rice growers and others to observe and discuss research in progress at RES. Rice Field Day is sponsored by the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation (CCRRF) and the University of California (UC). We also seek and receive support from many agricultural businesses and plan a rice equipment vendor display.

Following is a brief outline of the Rice Field Day program:

7:30 - 8:30 a.m.     REGISTRATION AND POSTER VIEWING

8:30 - 9:15 a.m.     GENERAL SESSION

• CCRRF Annual Membership Meeting

• Rice Research Trust Report

• California Rice Industry Award

9:30 - Noon            FIELD TOURS OF RICE RESEARCH

• Variety Improvement

• Disease Resistance

• Insects and Control

• Weeds and Control

Noon                      LUNCHEON CONCLUDES PROGRAM

Lunch will be served in the New Research Building with seating at the tables on the lawns under the canopies. The program will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a General Session that serves as the Annual CCRRF Membership Meeting. Posters and demonstrations will be in place during registration until after lunch. Field tours of research will emphasize progress in rice variety improvement, disease, insect, and weed control. The program will conclude at noon with a lunch that includes rice.

We hope to see you on August 31st. The RES is located at 955 Butte City Highway (Hwy. 162), approximately two- and one-half miles west of Highway 99 north of Biggs, California.

I have been getting several messages about off-type plants that are starting to head. They are taller, paler, and could be confused with watergrass. Some of them have a flag leaf that is yellow and stands out. These plants are most likely infected with bakanae. To confirm, slice the crown and see if it is rotting. If the crown looks healthy, then the plant may be an off-type, variety contamination, or weedy rice.

Plants infected with bakanae appear taller, are light green, and will produce a panicle. However, the panicle will blank out.

To confirm bakanae infection, slice the crown of the plant. If it is discolored, the plant is infected.

I don't know why we are seeing more bakanae in the past few years. Bleaching is very effective in reducing bakanae infection. However, if the seed is held without water for more than a day before seeding, it can warm up. This increase in temperature allows any surviving bakanae spores to germinate and produce more spores, resulting in more infection. Also, bakanae can survive in the soil; it may take a few years for the disease to go under the radar again if the seed is being treated every year.

We have recently produced a series of videos on weedy rice identification in California. Each video is biotype-specific. Our UC Rice YouTube Channel also has many other recordings from our virtual meetings and webinars. 

Weedy Rice Type 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weedy Rice Type 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weedy Rice Type 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Weedy Rice Type 4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weedy Rice Type 5