It’s time to start scouting headed rice for rice stink bugs

It’s funny how when you work a field crop, life eventually moves in a pretty predictable cycle. Well, it’s that time of year again. Time to start scouting for rice stink bugs in headed rice, although it does seem to be coming a little bit earlier than usual. This is probably a result of very early planting of rice in some parts of south Louisiana. Unfortunately, field conditions are favoring a bad year for stink bugs. The drought conditions have killed off grasses that would normally serve as a host/reservoir for stink bugs, so there is a chance they will move more readily into heading rice.

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Combines are rolling in south Louisiana

If you are wondering why I’ve been a little quiet lately, it’s because we’ve been busy cutting test plots and gathering harvest data. After long days in this horrendous heat, it’s hard to find a desire to sit at a computer and write. I’ll wait until all the numbers are in to make any comments about the effect of treatments on yields. In the meantime, I thought you might like to see some equipment in action. The best part of harvest is that it really is a gathering of friends.

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Stand Emergence with Dermacor X-100 and CruiserMaxx

Today we met with cooperators in St. Landry to look at the differences in stand emergence between the insecticide treated (Dermacor X-100, CruiserMaxx) and non-insecticide treated seed (fungicide only). There was a visible difference between Dermacor X-100 and untreated seed, but no visible difference between Dermacor X-100 and CruiserMaxx. We’ll return to take stand counts in about two weeks. These first few weeks of the test are critical for detecting colapsis damage, if it occurs.

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Planting demonstration sites in St. Landry and Evangeline Parish

Yesterday we planted two demonstration sites. We started bright and early at Charlie Fontenot’s farm in St. Landry Parish. In the afternoon, we moved over to the Morein Farm in Evangeline Parish. Both sites were successfully planted before the rain began in Evangeline Parish last night.

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Horizon ag strip trial planted in Crowley

Today we planted a Horizon Ag Strip Trial at the Lawson Farm in Crowley, La.

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