ARLINGTON, VA – The rice delphacid is wreaking havoc across rice fields in Texas and has recently been spotted in Arkansas and Louisiana. The pest is also a vector of rice hojo blanca virus, which can damage rice plants above and beyond that caused by the insect directly.
USA Rice has formed a scientific task force to address the invasive and hearty insect and three members of the task force join podcast co-host and Executive Director of The Rice Foundation Dr. Steve Linscombe on a
special episode of
The Rice Stuff out now.
Texas rice farmer and crop consultant Cliff Mock, Texas A&M AgriLife Entomologist Dr. Lina Bernaola, and Texas A&M AgriLife Rice Specialist Dr. Sam Rustom share their observations, concerns, and what they think is a strong path forward for the rice industry.
“This is only the second year we’ve found delphacid in main crop and it’s as early as we’ve ever found them in main crop,” observed Mock.
“Since July, I have not walked in a rice field in Texas that did not have rice delphacid in it,” said Rustom.
Linscombe says while there are treatments available, a lengthy pre-harvest interval on products can hamper a grower’s ability to fight back because “sometimes by the time you realize you have a problem, it’s too close to harvest to do anything about it.”
Bernaola reports that “we have two insecticides labeled for the management of this pest in Texas, however, the numbers are still problematic and we need to find new chemistries to be able to rotate our treatments to avoid building resistance.”
This special episode of
The Rice Stuff is available wherever you get your podcasts and online at
www.thericestuffpodcast.com.