By Sarah Cato
The Pine Tree Field Day, hosted Aug. 10 by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, featured research updates in two of the state’s biggest agriculture arenas: rice and soybeans.
The event, held at the Pine Tree Research Station in Colt welcomed 96 growers, crop consultants, county agents and other agriculture professionals. The research station is part of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the Division of Agriculture.
“We’re sitting in the central part of eastern Arkansas and we represent a segment of this part of the state,” said Shawn Clark, director of the Pine Tree Research Station. “With soybean and rice being two of the most common crops in this region, we wanted to take this opportunity to put on display what we do here in soybean and rice research.”
At the field day, research topics included soybean and rice breeding updates, rice insect management, weed control, fertility and more.
Soybean breeding update
Caio Canella Vieira, soybean breeder for the Division of Agriculture, outlined the breeding process for his program.
“We start with crossing and identifying desirable traits such as disease resistance and yield, and then we make our selections. Those selections get narrowed down each year until the best lines are advanced to regional trials,” he said. “The best lines from different breeding programs are tested side by side across several states. It’s kind of like the Olympic games for soybeans.”
This year promises some big changes for the soybean breeding program with the incorporation of the herbicide tolerance technology Enlist E3®. Vieira said his program received access to the technology and the first yield trials for Enlist E3® breeding lines are being conducted in 2023.
“We are very excited about the upcoming Enlist E3® varieties” Vieira said. “While Enlist E3® varieties have been on the market for a few years, there are limited varieties that have been bred specifically for the Arkansas climate. Now we will be able to offer Arkansas growers a variety tailored to their needs with the herbicide tolerance they depend on.”
Enlist® herbicides are used to kill weeds that are prevalent in Arkansas row crop production. With the Enlist E3® technology, soybeans are tolerant to the herbicides.
Vieira’s program is hoping for an official release for the Arkansas-adapted Enlist E3® soybeans by Spring 2025.
Rice water weevil research
Nick Bateman, extension entomologist for the Division of Agriculture, and entomology graduate student Gage Maris discussed recent research into scouting methods for rice water weevils.
Traditionally, scouting for rice water weevils has been done by looking for white scarring on the leaves caused by adult feeding. However, Bateman said that method is confusing and inefficient.
“We’re working on a new sweep net method for scouting to replace the scarring method,” he said. “What we’ve found is that it doesn’t take many rice water weevils to reach the level of scarring that calls for an insecticide application. Making the switch to sweep net sampling can simplify things and save us some applications.”
Bateman and Maris are working on an economic threshold for rice water weevils based on sweep net sampling, with the first year of data collected this summer.
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To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
Source : uada.edu