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In this episode, Luis Espino and Sarah Marsh Janish give a rundown on stem rot, one of the main diseases of rice in California. One disease that can be found in practically every rice field is stem rot. This fungus causes the tillers to rot at the water level and, when severe, it causes blanking and lodging.

Stem Rot Resources

UC IPM - Stem Rot

UC Rice Blog Post about Injury Thresholds

UCANR Stem Rot and Aggregate Sheath Spot Fact Sheet

Other Resources

UC Rice Blog

UC Agronomy - Rice

Rice Briefs (Colusa/Yolo)

Rice Notes (Yuba-Sutter)

Rice Leaf (Butte/Glenn)

Rice in the Delta

Mention of an agrichemical does not constitute a recommendation, merely the sharing of research findings. Always follow the label. The label is the law. Find out more at ipm.ucanr.edu.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general purposes only. The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

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Sarah Marsh Janish sits down with Mia Avila and Oscar Deleon, Jr., who spent summer 2025 with the UCCE Rice Team as part of Chico STEM Connections Collaborative, a collaborative undergraduate research experience at California State University Chico. CSC² is an innovative program working in collaboration with other California State Universities throughout the state to coordinate and integrate project data into one of the largest and most comprehensive evaluations of best practices found in the nation. CSC² serves educationally disadvantaged students and, to the extent possible by law, emphasizes participation by students from groups with low eligibility rates for four-year institutions.

Mia and Oscar, as members of this collective, spent their summer working on various research projects with the UCCE Rice Team, as well as performing their own supervised rice research throughout the summer.

Mia Avila Bio: My name is Mia Avila, I’m a 4th year undergraduate student at CSU Chico studying Plant & Soil Science, and I’ve grown up in the north state all my life.

Oscar Deleon Bio: My name is Oscar Deleon Jr., and I’m a second-year Plant & Soil Science major at CSU Chico. I transferred here from the Coachella Valley, specifically Indio, and I’m passionate about anything agriculture-related.

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Other Resources

UC Rice Blog

UC Agronomy - Rice

Rice Briefs (Colusa/Yolo)

Rice Notes (Yuba-Sutter)

Rice Leaf (Butte/Glenn)

Rice in the Delta

Mention of an agrichemical does not constitute a recommendation, merely the sharing of research findings. Always follow the label. The label is the law. Find out more at ipm.ucanr.edu.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general purposes only. The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

UC ANR is an equal opportunity provider and employer

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Blackbirds may be small, but their impact on rice fields can be huge. We explore how and when they cause the most damage, why they target rice, and what farmers are doing to protect their crops.

Feedback Poll

Upcoming Events!

• Annual Rice Field Day on August 27

Blackbird Resources

UC Rice Blog Blackbird post (with ID photos)

Overall blackbird damage to rice crops has been estimated to >$20 million

Drones as bird abatement

Laser scarecrows

Other Resources

UC Rice Blog

UC Agronomy - Rice

Rice Briefs (Colusa/Yolo)

Rice Notes (Yuba-Sutter)

Rice Leaf (Butte/Glenn)

Rice in the Delta

Mention of an agrichemical does not constitute a recommendation, merely the sharing of research findings. Always follow the label. The label is the law. Find out more at ipm.ucanr.edu.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general purposes only. The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

UC ANR is an equal opportunity provider and employer

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Together, the UCCE Farm Advisors seek to provide relevant, topical research-backed information relating to CA rice production.

We're doing a rerun episode today: Luis Espino and Sarah Marsh will be talking about Rice Armyworm Monitoring Program and the second generation of armyworms in rice. We're using this episode as the second peak of armyworms is approaching quickly!

Two true armyworm generations occur in rice; moths fly in spring and early summer, laying eggs in rice fields and surrounding vegetation. The larvae that emerge feed on rice foliage. A second moth flight occurs in mid-summer, followed by larvae feeding on rice foliage and panicles.

Upcoming Events!

• Annual Rice Field Day on August 27

Armyworm Resources

CA Armyworm Trapping Network in Rice

Graph of Armyworm Peaks

UC IPM - True Armyworm in Rice

Other Resources

UC Rice Blog

UC Agronomy - Rice

Rice Briefs (Colusa/Yolo)

Rice Notes (Yuba-Sutter)

Rice Leaf (Butte/Glenn)

Rice in the Delta

Feedback Poll

Mention of an agrichemical does not constitute a recommendation, merely the sharing of research findings. Always follow the label. The label is the law. Find out more at ipm.ucanr.edu.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general purposes only. The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

UC ANR is an equal opportunity provider and employer

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Sarah Marsh Janish and Billy Abbott discuss the upcoming BirdReturns program, the Sandhill Crane Program, which incentivizes farmers to provide roosting and forage habitat for the Greater Sandhill Crane, an threatened bird species in the Sacramento Valley and CA Delta regions.

BirdReturns Sandhill Crane Application

Applications open on July 25 and close on August 17.

Upcoming Events

• Weedy Rice Workshop - August 5, 2025, 10:00 AM - 1:15 PM, Roberts-Union Farm Center, 4925 Howard Rd, Stockton, CA 95206
• CRC Bird Conservation Programs Informational Workshop - Wednesday, August 13, 2025, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Hillcrest Catering, 210 Julie Dr, Yuba City, CA 95991
• Rice Field Day - August 27, 2025, Rice Experiment Station, Biggs, CA

Other Resources

UC Rice Blog

UC Agronomy - Rice

Rice Briefs (Colusa/Yolo)

Rice Notes (Yuba-Sutter)

Rice Leaf (Butte/Glenn)

Rice in the Delta

Mention of an agrichemical does not constitute a recommendation, merely the sharing of research findings. Always follow the label. The label is the law. Find out more at ipm.ucanr.edu.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general purposes only. The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

UC ANR is an equal opportunity provider and employer

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Sarah and Luis discuss armyworms as a significant pest in California rice production. The discussion included Luis providing current updates on armyworm populations, scouting techniques, treatment thresholds, and management options for rice farmers.

Upcoming Events

• Rice Production Workshop - POSTPONED TO MARCH 2026
• Weedy Rice Workshop - August 5, 2025, 10:00 AM - 1:15 PM, Roberts-Union Farm Center, 4925 Howard Rd, Stockton, CA 95206
• Rice Field Day - August 27, 2025, Rice Experiment Station, Biggs, CA

Armyworm Resources

Lemaire-Hamel S, Neau M, McCune F, et al. 2025. Armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in the province of Quebec, Canada: trapping, sex ratios, and female reproductive status. The Canadian Entomologist 157:1-16.

Armyworm Monitoring Network

Second Peak of Armyworm Podcast Episode

Other Resources

UC Rice Blog

UC Agronomy - Rice

Rice Briefs (Colusa/Yolo)

Rice Notes (Yuba-Sutter)

Rice Leaf (Butte/Glenn)

Rice in the Delta

Mention of an agrichemical does not constitute a recommendation, merely the sharing of research findings. Always follow the label. The label is the law. Find out more at ipm.ucanr.edu.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general purposes only. The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

UC ANR is an equal opportunity provider and employer

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The UCCE Rice group discussed various agricultural topics including no-till rice field demonstrations, pest management challenges, and new tools for detecting tadpole shrimp, followed by updates on ongoing research projects and planting trials in the 2025 rice season.

Upcoming Events

• Rice Production Workshop - POSTPONED TO MARCH 2026
• Weedy Rice Workshop - August 5, 2025, 10:00 AM - 1:15 PM, Roberts-Union Farm Center, 4925 Howard Rd, Stockton, CA 95206
• Rice Field Day - August 27, 2025, Rice Experiment Station, Biggs, CA

Other Resources

UC Rice Blog

UC Agronomy - Rice

Rice Briefs (Colusa/Yolo)

Rice Notes (Yuba-Sutter)

Rice Leaf (Butte/Glenn)

Rice in the Delta

Mention of an agrichemical does not constitute a recommendation, merely the sharing of research findings. Always follow the label. The label is the law. Find out more at ipm.ucanr.edu.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general purposes only. The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

UC ANR is an equal opportunity provider and employer

Send us a text

Feedback Form

Today's mini-episode concerns the 2025 spring planting report and current CA rice marketing prices.

USDA Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin

USA Rice Spring Planting Report

Weekly National Rice Summary from the USDA AMS

Upcoming Events

• No-Till Rice Field Day - June 10, 2025, 9-11am, 694 Watson Road, Biggs, CA 95917
• Rice Production Workshop - POSTPONED TO MARCH 2026
• Weedy Rice Workshop - August 5, 2025, Delta

Other Resources

UC Rice Blog

UC Agronomy - Rice

Rice Briefs (Colusa/Yolo)

Rice Notes (Yuba-Sutter)

Rice Leaf (Butte/Glenn)

Rice in the Delta

Mention of an agrichemical does not constitute a recommendation, merely the sharing of research findings. Always follow the label. The label is the law. Find out more at ipm.ucanr.edu.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general purposes only. The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

UC ANR is an equal opportunity provider and employer