Greetings from Louisiana rice country! This year, the blog will concentrate research conducted at the LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station, in addition to showing the progress of a 6-acre field of rice planted March 19 to produce foundation seed. We encourage your comments and thoughts to help improve this online tool. If you would like a photograph of a particular piece of equipment or a better explanation of a process, let us know.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Breaking through the crust

Despite last week’s torrential rain, the surface of the blog field is dry and crusty. Shown above is a rice sprout breaking through the soil within a small animal footprint. Below is a picture of the seedling.


Larry White, director of the LSU AgCenter’s foundation seed program, expects emergence of the crop will be visible in a day or two.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Check the progress of the blog field

You can see how the rice crop is doing on the blog field in real time.
Here's how: on the right side of the screen, you'll see "Rice Field WEBCAM." Click on the link right below it that says http://www.lsuagcenter.com/ricecam.

2012 blog field planted


The 2012 blog field, a 6-acre field of Jazzman 2, was planted  Monday. Early Wednesday morning, a welcome rain of almost 2.5 inches flushed the field and that should help the seeds sprout.  In the movie clip above, water is draining from the field. By Thursday morning, most of the field had been drained.

Larry White, LSU AgCenter foundation seed manager at the Rice Research Station, drill seeded at the rate of 40 pounds per acre. The seed was treated prior to planting with a fungicide, Dermacor to control rice water weevils  and gibberillic acid  to promote early growth before it was planted.

Before planting, White sprayed herbicides to control existing weeds that included sedges and barnyardgrass.