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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stuttgart, Arkansas » Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #297056

Title: Integrating choice of variety, soil amendments, and cover crops to optimize organic rice production

Author
item DOU, FUGEN - Texas Agrilife
item ZHOU, XIN-GEN - Texas Agrilife
item McClung, Anna
item LANDRY, KIP - Texas Agrilife
item LIU, GUANGJIE - Texas Agrilife

Submitted to: Rice Field Day Abstract
Publication Type: Experiment Station
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/7/2013
Publication Date: 6/25/2013
Publication URL: http://www.//beaumont.tamu.edu/eLibrary/Newsletter/2013_Highlights_in_Research.pdf
Citation: Dou, F., Zhou, X., Mcclung, A.M., Landry, K., Liu, G. 2013. Integrating choice of variety, soil amendments, and cover crops to optimize organic rice production. Rice Field Day Abstract. Beaumont, Texas Rice July 2013 edition, Special section: 11-12.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: We have completed our first year of this project to determine the impact of winter cover crops, soil amendments, and rice varieties on organic rice production at Beaumont, TX. Two winter cover crops were established successfully and the amounts of dry biomass produced were 4,690 and 5,157 lb/acre for clover and ryegrass, respectively. Plots were cultivated and drill seeded with rice in the spring. Cover crops had a similar effect on rice grain yield, although numerically, rice grain yield following the ryegrass treatment was higher than that of the clover treatment. Compared to Presidio, Tesanai had significantly higher grain yield when averaged over the soil amendments. Two types of preplant soil amendments were tested, NatureSafe (13-0-0) and Rhizogen (7-2-1), using three different rates (0, 150, and 210 lb N/acre)). The type of soil amendments did not have significant effect on rice grain yield. The yields of the control (no soil amendment) were 7600 lb/acre and 7800 lb/acre under clover and ryegrass, respectively. Compared to the control, the 150 lb N/acre and 210 lb N/acre soil amendment rates increased rice grain yields by 11 percent. However, there was no difference in rice grain yields between the two N applications, indicating that 150 lb N/acre was sufficient for organic rice production in terms of N supply following a cover crop. Compared to Presidio, Tesanai had greater plant height and appeared to be more competitive with weeds. Aboveground biomass of the rice crop was affected by the rate of soil amendments rather than the type of soil amendments. Rice milling yield was significantly affected by cover crop and rice variety. Severity of narrow brown leaf spot was significantly higher on Presidio than on Tesanai while severity of brown spot was low on both cultivars. Cover crop treatments did not affect narrow brown leaf spot. However, clover cover crop treatment resulted in significantly lower brown spot severity compared to the winter fallow and ryegrass cover crop treatments. Application of N at either 150 or 210 lbs/acre was effective in reducing the severity of narrow brown leaf spot and brown spot as compared to the control. Severity of either disease linearly decreased with increased N level. Although previous studies indicated that some rice varieties were very susceptible to straighthead when grown following a clover crop, no symptoms of straighthead were observed in any plots of these varieties. This research is supported by USDA ARS and USDA Southern Region Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program