Biggs rice research facility gets a modern face-lift

A new, state-of-the-art research building was unveiled to more than 400 people during the 101st annual Rice Field Day at the California Rice Experiment Station in Biggs.

Station director Kent McKenzie said, "We replaced a couple of 1930s buildings that were not insulated and not very efficient with a new research building," which includes a seed processing area, milling and drying facilities, a storage area for the research planters and combines, a meeting room and office space for the staff.

"We'll hopefully get it done in the next couple of months and put it right to use. It has been funded by the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation, so this hasn't been something we've asked the Rice Research Board or the Rice Research Trust to fund. I think this culminates quite a lot of building activity and upgrading facilities here. We have a good staff, so this should give them more room and support as we move on to the next hundred years," McKenzie said.

Rice Field Day is sponsored by the CCRRF, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the University of California. Field day attendees toured the station to learn about the latest research on rice varieties and pest control, and to honor the recipient of the California Rice Industry Award.

"Over the 100 years of doing grower-funded research, we've invested our growers' dollars very judiciously and appropriately, and tried to stay at the forefront of technology," Sean Doherty, CCRRF chairman, said. "I think we have one of the best rice programs in the world and we want to make sure growers know it. I hope that we continue to enjoy the support that we've had over the years."

The research projects receive financial assistance from the state's rice growers, who are assessed 7 cents per 100 pounds of rice through the California Rice Research Board.

"Ninety cents of every dollar goes directly to research," said Brett Scheidel, who serves as CCRB chairman.

Field day attendees toured the station aboard canopied flatbed trucks to learn about the breeding program, which consists of four research projects. Three projects focus on developing new and improved rice varieties, and the rice pathology project screens those varieties for disease resistance. In addition, all projects are linked with the DNA marker laboratory at the station.

The experiment station staff continues to work on incorporating improved agronomic and quality traits in medium-grain rice, more popularly known as Calrose, the predominant type grown in California. Virgilio Andaya, the station's director of plant breeding, said the experimental variety 08Y3269 is a promising advanced line that performed very well in the UC Cooperative Extension statewide yield test, outperforming the popular variety M-205 in warmer areas of the Sacramento Valley. It is a semi-dwarf, early-maturing Calrose variety. In three years of statewide tests, 08Y3269 yielded an average 10,150 pounds per acre, more than 4 percent higher than M-205.

Andaya noted that in 2011, the station released a very early maturing variety, M-105, as an alternative variety for cooler rice areas where M-104 is commonly grown.

"Reports during the 2012 planting season in Butte County indicate that M-105 is competitive with popular Calrose varieties such as M-205 and M-206, and was superior to M-104 in terms of grain and milling yields and agronomic performance," he said.

Researchers continue to search for traits that may add value to rice in California using mutation breeding, Andaya said, adding, "Targeted traits include early flowering, tolerance to certain herbicides and improved overall plant type."

Rice breeder Farman Jodari is in charge of the long-grain research. The objective of the long-grain project is to develop superior conventional and specialty long-grain varieties, including aromatic rice.

Jodari said a recent study showed that L-206, an early maturing conventional long-grain variety, has superior packaging quality.

"Results of a comprehensive study in 2012 sponsored by USA Rice Federation and conducted by Southern U.S. experiment stations and commercial milling companies indicated that L-206 was ranked first among all U.S. varieties for packaging quality by the participating rice mills," he noted.

Promising experimental lines include 12Y1176, which has a "considerable yield advantage" over L-206 "with the same quality attributes," Jodari said.

In addition, there is a foundation seed increase of an aromatic long-grain variety, 11Y1049, "to replace an older variety, A-301. It is 10 days earlier than A-301 and the seedling vigor is considerably better," Jodari said. The experimental variety also performed better than A-301 under an organic production system.

"The preliminary results are encouraging and if everything goes well, at the end of this year we will propose this line for release next year," he said.

Stanley Samonte is the station's premium-quality and specialty rice breeder. He noted that each year, thousands of experimental varieties are evaluated against current varieties. In the 2012 statewide yield test, two experimental short-grain lines had higher yields than the conventional short-grain variety S-102. This year, these two experimental varieties—09Y2036 and 09Y2179—are being evaluated further in the advanced group of the statewide yield test.

RES plant pathologist Jeff Oster reviewed research on developing rice varieties with disease resistance to rice blast, stem rot, sheath spot and bakanae. In the last couple of years, researchers have focused their efforts on finding new sources of resistance to blast, a fungal disease that can lead to significant yield losses.

"We want to combine different genes for resistance so the fungus cannot just overcome the resistance in a matter of a couple of years," Oster said. "So the pyramided or combined resistances are entering the early yield evaluation this year, and hopefully within a year or two they will be in the statewide trials."

Extension entomologist Larry Godfrey discussed research on new insecticides for controlling rice water weevils, tadpole shrimp and seed midges.

"These pests have been particularly problematic the last few years," he said.

Godfrey said a promising experimental product that has been evaluated against the rice water weevil is a biological material, Bacillus thuringiensis spp. Galleriae.

"This product could have a good fit for organic rice production. At this point, finding the effective rate and application timing and evaluating several formulations has been the objective," he said.

The field day included a tour of the herbicide research conducted at the RES Hamilton Road field. UC weed scientist Albert Fischer provided research updates on herbicides, herbicide-resistant weeds, and weed control using different cultural methods including water-seeded and drill-seeded rice.

"Our efforts seek to assist California rice growers in their critical weed-control issues of preventing and managing herbicide-resistant weeds, achieving economic and timely broad-spectrum control and complying with personal and environmental safety requirements," Fischer noted.

Bruce Linquist, the new UCCE rice extension specialist, was introduced by Barbara Allen-Diaz, vice president of the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and UC Davis professor Chris Van Kessel.

The California Rice Industry Award was presented to Mike Sandrock, former president and chief executive officer of the Sacramento-based Farmers' Rice Cooperative. He has held leadership roles in many agricultural organizations, including Farm Credit.

The Rice Research Trust is seeking candidates for a two-year D. Marlin Brandon Rice Research Fellowship in the amount of $10,000. The memorial scholarship was established to provide financial assistance to graduate students pursuing careers in rice production science and technology. Application materials are available by contacting the Rice Experiment Station.

Farmers, agricultural scientists, regulatory officials, agricultural business people and others attended the field day for a variety of reasons.

Colusa County rice grower Lemuel Pearson Sr., who grows M-205 and M-206 near Maxwell, said, "I like coming here every year to see the different varieties, the spray test plots and the newer materials so we can keep up with the times and try to get the highest yields out of our fields."

His son, Lemuel Pearson Jr., said, "I just like to see the different chemicals and how they work because we have a lot of problems this year with chemicals not working. I run the spray rig so I have to deal with it. I like to come here and see if they've got anything different, and figure out what's immune to what."

Wheatland rice grower Joe Conant said, "I came here mostly to see the herbicide trials. The weed problems are bad and we need some new herbicides."

Bryce Lundberg, vice president of agriculture at Lundberg Family Farms in Richvale, said, "This is a world-class facility started and maintained by growers for the benefit of growers. We are so fortunate to have this facility producing the best varieties of rice in the world, sought after by discriminating buyers from all over the world. I would say this facility is one of the foundational reasons why the California rice industry enjoys the success that we enjoy today."

(Robyn Rominger is a reporter in Winters. She may be contacted at robynrominger@hotmail.com.)