Rice insect update

Activity is beginning to slow down in the field and we are moving into “grant-writing” and “meeting” season. This post gives an update on latest reports of insect pests in second crop and crawfish rice. We also present reminders about a couple of rice and cane entomology trainings this month.

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Mexican rice borer site visit announcement – Beaumont, TX – Sept 27 to 28, 2011

As the MRB continues to spread across Louisiana, it is becoming more critical for those associated with the rice and cane industries of Louisiana to become familiar with identification, biology and management of this pest. Drs. Gene Reagan (LSU AgCenter) and Mo Way (Texas A&M Agrilife) are hosting their annual Sugarcane Field Research Site Visit in Beaumont, TX on September 27 and 28, 2011. Louisiana and Texas Sugarcane and Rice Consultants, Agricultural Extension Agents, and Industry Cooperators are invited and encouraged to attend.

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LSU AgCenter Mexican Rice Borer site visit – Beaumont, TX

On Monday, Johnny Saichuk (rice specialist), Donna Lee (county agent – East Caroll Parish) and I headed over to Beaumont, Texas for the annual Mexican Rice Borer (MRB) Site Visit. This meeting is held annually to share the latest results of a long-running cooperative research effort between Texas A&M and the LSU AgCenter. The research programs of Dr. Gene Reagen, Mo Way, Ted Wilson, and Bill White are showcased. The Mexican rice borer is a significant pest of rice and sugarcane production in Texas. It was been moving north and eaast across the rice and sugarcane belt of texas since the early 1980′s. Infestations result in significant reliance on insecticides to control this pest. The USDA breeding programs are also selecting for resistance to borers in sugarcane.

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When to treat for grasshoppers in rice?

I’ve had a few calls about grasshoppers in rice – particularly in the south-central portion of the state. We do not recommend applying an insecticide for grasshoppers unless you are certain they are causing enough of a reduction in yield to cover the cost of a spray. It is possible that a pyrethroid application for rice stink bug or stem borer will also control grasshoppers.

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Kick-off of the Rice Technical Working Group Meeting in Biloxi, MS

Report from the first day of the 33rd annual RTWG meeting.

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