Rice Field Day planned May 20

By: Keith A. Fontenot

County Agent/

Parish Chairman

Evangeline Parish

Every year for the last several years, Dr. Steve Linscombe has planted an off station test plot at the Kody and Larry Bieber Farm, located just off highway 13 on Bieber road. This plot is a replication of the variety plots planted on the rice research station and also at six different off station locations. These off station plots allow the researchers to observe how varieties will perform on different soil types, and different climatic conditions, away from the experiment station.

This year there are 173 different Clearfield Lines replicated in the plots, as well as 60 different commercial test varieties. These plots are all replicated plots with over 500 plots total at this one location.

Besides variety test plots, there will also be a study in this same area evaluating Agrotain, a fertilizer enhancement coating, designed to improve performance, and minimize nitrogen fertilizer losses under different environmental conditions. This test will look at performance of agrotain, under several different time periods, between time of application until a flood is brought on the field.

Our plans are to have a Rice Field Day at this plot location on May 20, to discuss the plots, varieties, and different crop management practices that relate to the rice growth at that time, such as disease and insect control.