We're mostly on or a little ahead of schedule with our crops, but moisture is becoming critical with some fields needing moisture for bean planting. We're getting into the straighthead drying timeframe for our earlier emerging rice. The question is always whether or not fields need to be drained . There are several factors to consider when making the decision on whether to drain or not. They include variety of rice being grown, soil type, and field history.
Rice varieties vary tremendously in their susceptibility to straighthead.
Of the varieties that I'm aware of being grown in the county this year, several have susceptibility. The medium grain varieties Bengal and AB647 are rated as very susceptible. Kaybonnet, LaGrue, and Alan are rated moderately susceptible. Most of our other commonly grown varieties are rated as moderately resistant. If you have a question about the susceptibility of a variety, call me and I'll give you an answer provided that the variety does have a rating.