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BIGGS -- Cool spring weather has again conspired with a shrinking arsenal of effective herbicides to hamper rice production in the Sacramento Valley. So it will be with heightened interest that California's rice industry -- growers, scientists, pest control advisers and others -- will gather August 25 at the Rice Experiment Station (RES) to learn about the latest in weed control, new rice varieties and other research developments.

The annual Rice Field Day typically draws more than 500 people to the 470-acre research site on the east side of the Sacramento Valley. California Rice Experiment Station scientists and University of California professors, specialists and county farm advisors update growers on research as they tour the site on flatbed trucks.

"Poor weed control has been a widespread problem this year," notes RES Director Marlin Brandon. "Cool weather has delayed germination of many weeds, especially sedges, making the effective timing of herbicide applications and weed control very difficult."

Brandon, who is also adjunct UC faculty, noted two other factors making weed control challenging. The loss of long-time core broadleaf herbicides such as 2,4-D, MCPA and Basagran® and the more recently registered herbicide Shark® are limiting grower options and are severely impacting rice weed control. Furthermore, in attempts to stretch available resources and to improve weed control, herbicides have been mixed or combined with various surfactants and crop oil concentrates, resulting in injury to rice in some fields.

The other factor behind this year's poor weed control is the increasing population of weeds resistant to available herbicides such as Londax®, Ordram®, Bolero® and propanil. At the field day UC weed scientist Albert Fischer will discuss accelerated research to improve herbicide effectiveness and to reduce weeds resistant to herbicides.

"Our weed research experiments are designed with an eye toward selecting the most promising new herbicides, maximizing performance and longevity of existing herbicides, and the use of biotechnology for weed control -- all within a framework of integrated weed management," said Michael Carriere, a postgraduate researcher in the UC Davis Department of Agronomy and Range Science. Weed scientists will also discuss the performance of promising new watergrass herbicides nearing registration in California, development of rice genetically engineered for herbicide resistance, and work on weed biology and rice competitiveness.

Growers will have an opportunity to see how four new varieties released this year and two other experimental lines slated for release next year are performing in various field trials. The new releases include L-205, a superior quality long grain that will be used in processed food products; Calmati-201, an aromatic basmati type favored by many consumers; Calhikari-201, a premium quality short grain tailored for the Japanese market; and M-402, an earlier maturing, premium quality medium grain. Next year's anticipated releases are both medium grains, one of which shows a significant yield advantage over current industry mainstay, M-202.

The field day also includes an update on new insecticides and monitoring techniques to control the rice water weevil. A poster session and other demonstrations highlight nearly 20 research projects and rice industry programs. Sample topics include monitoring rice water weevils with light traps, atmospheric dispersion of propanil, comparative weed susceptibility, biologically integrated farming systems and use of DNA markers to tap genes from wild species.

Registration for this free event begins at 7:30 a.m. (Three hours of PCA credit have been approved.) The program starts at 8:30 a.m. with the annual meeting of the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation (CCRRF), the grower organization that owns the Rice Experiment Station. Presentation of the California Rice Industry Award, which goes annually to an individual who has made significant contributions to the rice industry, will be made during this meeting. Also, James Wells, past director of the California Department of Pesticide Registration, will share his perspectives on rice herbicide issues.

Field tours begin at 9:30 a.m. The meeting concludes at noon with a free lunch. Sponsors of Rice Field Day include the CCRRF and the University of California. The Rice Experiment Station is located at 955 Butte City Highway (Highway 162), 2 1/2 miles west of Highway 99, near Biggs. For additional information about the program, contact Brandon at (530) 868-5481.