Rice water weevil demonstration program results – 2011

Rice water weevil (RWW) management demonstrations have been conducted for the past four field seasons. The purpose of these demonstrations is to evaluate currently recommended insecticides on commercial rice farms in Louisiana to control RWW. These trials are a joint effort between county agents, farmers, consultants, seed dealers and chemical distributors. In 2011, we compared three insecticide seed treatments (CruiserMaxx, Dermacor X-100 and NipsIt INSIDE) to an untreated check.

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Rice insecticide seed treatment options in 2011

In the 2011 production season, Louisiana rice producers will have a variety of options for seed treatment in dry-seeded production systems. This article should help make the decision about which seed treatment you may want to consider.

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NipsitInside seed treatment from Valent

Valent has been working with Mike Stout and other university scientists across the US to develop a new insecticide seed treatment for rice water weevil management in rice. This product is called NipsitInside and contains the active ingredient Clothianidin. Clothianidin is a neonicotinoid insecticide.

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Monitor your insecticide seed-treated fields.

The new seed treatments are a tool we have available in rice integrated pest managent. The goal of these treatments is to prevent infestation by rice water weevil larvae. The two treatments that are available provide variable levels of weevil control. Historically, Dermacor X-100 has provided a better level of rice water weevil control than CruiserMaxx. Dermacor typically provides about 95 to 98% control of rww larvae. CruiserMaxx provides above 80% control. With this difference in the level of control, it would not be surprising to see some larvae in bucket samples in infested fields. This year we are evaluating Dermacor X-100 and CruiserMaxx in side-by-side commercial field evaluations. The data are now coming in.

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Update on Horton Site – water-seeded rww test in Vermilion Parish

Yesterday, County Agent Stuart Gauthier pulled core samples at the test site farmed by Alden Horton. Alden wanted to really study the management of rice water weevils in a water-seeded system. In this case, the only option for pesticide management is the use of pyrethroids. The first step was to spend the time to scout properly before and after permanent flood for the presence of rice water weevil adults. Stuart worked closely with Dr. Saichuk, myself and Alden to check the field on a regular basis – at least weekly, but often times more frequently. It was a tough decision to decide on weevil management at this site.

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Pyrethroid spray recommended at Vermilion Parish demo site

This morning I met with County Agent Stuart Gauthier, Rice producer Richard Hardee and Consultant Chuck Greene at the demonstration site in Vermilion Parish just outside of Gueydan.

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Rice water weevil scarring observed in rice – start scouting early for early-season pests

When I was scouting for aphids in Ville Platte, I was surprized to observe rice water weevil adult scarring on the seedling rice. This is a good reminder that we need to start scouting rice early for insect pests. The two seed treatment alternatives do control different pests, and you should keep that in mind when scouting rice.

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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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Acadia Parish Entomology Demonstration Sites

This morning I met County Agent Barrett Courville at the Acadia Parish Extension office. Barrett grabbed his rubber boots and we headed out to meet with Mr. Rustin Gilder at the Hoffpauir farm. The weather was perfect today – some fields we visited were firm enough to walk on. If the weather holds, a lot of rice will be planted in the next week. The first rice was water-planted in Jeff-Davis Parish last Friday.

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