Agronomic Pest Management

Rice

Arroz

Oryza sativa

Rice, the vital crop enjoyed by more than half the world&#8217;s population, boasts a versatility that&#8217;s hard to match. Across continents, many countries and cultures make the grain their own center of the plate, a side and even incorporate it as an ingredient in desserts. Rice cultivation in Florida has a small but growing place [&#8230;]

<figure id="attachment_46245" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-46245" style="width: 519px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" class=" wp-image-46245" src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/news/files/2024/07/Matthew-VanWeelden-conducting-research-on-rice-at-the-EAA-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="519" height="346" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-46245" class="wp-caption-text">Matthew VanWeelden conducting research on rice at UF/IFAS Everglades Research and Education Center in Belle Glade. Photo courtesy UF IFAS Photography.</figcaption></figure>
Rice, the <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/crops/rice/rice-sector-at-a-glance/">vital crop</a> enjoyed by more than half the world&#8217;s population, boasts a versatility that&#8217;s hard to match. Across continents, many countries and cultures make the grain their own center of the plate, a side and even incorporate it as an ingredient in desserts.
<a href="https://journals.flvc.org/edis/article/view/127870">Rice cultivation</a> in Florida has a small but growing place in the market as it is primarily concentrated in and around the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA), mainly in Palm Beach County. As of 2023, about 24,000 acres of rice grow in Florida.
“This acreage has been fairly consistent the past five years,” said <a href="https://erec.ifas.ufl.edu/faculty-pages/dr-matthew-vanweelden-faculty-page/">Matthew VanWeelden</a>, UF/IFAS Extension Palm Beach County agronomic crops agent. “In terms of total U.S. production, Florida accounts for only about 1% of the acreage. There is potential for growth.”
The top three rice-producing states are Arkansas, with about 1.4 million acres; California, with approximately 508,000 acres and Louisiana, which produces about 480,000 acres.
While Florida&#8217;s rice production is relatively small compared to the rest of the United States, its cultivation offers significant benefits to the environment and the sugarcane fields of the EAA. These benefits include reductions in soil subsidence, improved pest management, water conservation, wildlife habitat, enhanced fertilizer efficiency and increased organic amendments from rice stubble.
To highlight the unique attributes of growing rice in Florida, UF/IFAS will host a free <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2024-florida-rice-field-day-tickets-945389394127?aff=oddtdtcreator">Rice Field Day</a> on August 8 at the <a href="https://erec.ifas.ufl.edu/">UF/IFAS Everglades Research and Education Center (UF/IFAS EREC)</a>. The workshop aims to educate new and existing growers as well as faculty with updated research. Continuing Education Credits will be available. Advance registration is required by August 6.
&#8220;Given our relatively small rice industry compared to other states, we invite anyone interested in learning about Florida rice,&#8221; said VanWeelden.
&nbsp;
<figure id="attachment_46249" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-46249" style="width: 389px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img decoding="async" class=" wp-image-46249" src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/news/files/2024/07/Rice-seedlings-growing-in-a-greenhouse-courtesy-UF-IFAS-photography-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="389" height="259" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-46249" class="wp-caption-text">Rice seedlings growing in a greenhouse. Photo courtesy UF/ IFAS Photography.</figcaption></figure>
Event Details:
Time: 8:15 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Location: UF/IFAS EREC, 3200 East Palm Beach Rd., Belle Glade
Cost: Free with lunch sponsored Florida Rice Growers Inc.
Advance registration required by August 6: <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2024-florida-rice-field-day-tickets-945389394127?aff=oddtdtcreator">Pleaser register here for the workshop</a>.
 
Here is the day’s itinerary.
8:15 a.m.      Registration
8:30 a.m.      Welcome and announcements
<figure id="attachment_46251" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-46251" style="width: 389px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img decoding="async" class=" wp-image-46251" src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/news/files/2024/07/Matthew-VanWeelden-in-a-rice-crop-research-plot-at-the-Everglades-Research-and-Education-Center-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="389" height="259" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-46251" class="wp-caption-text">Matthew VanWeelden conducting research on rice at the Everglades Research and Education Center. Photo courtesy UF/ IFAS Photography.</figcaption></figure>
8:45 a.m.      Travel to field stop #l
9:10 a.m.      Benefits of flooded rice cultivation in the EAA, Jehangir Bhadha
9:40 a.m.      Update on Florida rice variety program, Matthew Vanweelden
10:20 a.m.    Overview and management of arthropod pests in rice, Julien Beuzelin, De-Fen Mou, Matthew VanWeelden
11:00 a.m.    Travel to field stop #2
11:25 a.m.    Weed management in rice, Calvin Odero
11:55 a.m.    Return to conference center for indoor sessions and break
Noon            Lunch (Sponsored by Florida Rice Growers Inc.)
12:45 p.m.    Planthoppers in Florida rice, De-Fen Mou
1:00 p.m.      Florida rice variety program 2023 results, Matthew VanWeelden
1:30 p.m.      Discussion and closing remarks
###
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&nbsp;
ABOUT UF/IFAS 
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents. 
<a href="http://www.ifas.ufl.edu">ifas.ufl.edu</a>  |  <a href="https://twitter.com/UF_IFAS">@UF_IFAS</a>
WHY FOOD IS OUR MIDDLE NAME 
Feeding a hungry world takes effort. Nearly everything we do comes back to food: from growing it and getting it to consumers, to conserving natural resources and supporting agricultural efforts. Explore all the reasons why at <a href="https://ifas.ufl.edu/food/">ifas.ufl.edu/food</a> or follow <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23FoodIsOurMiddleName&amp;src=typed_query">#FoodIsOurMiddleName</a>.

Matthew VanWeelden conducting research on rice at UF/IFAS Everglades Research and Education Center in Belle Glade. Photo courtesy UF IFAS Photography.
Rice, the vital crop enjoyed by more than half the world’s population, boasts a versatility that’s hard to match. Across continents, many countries and cultures make the grain their own center of the plate, a side and even incorporate it as an ingredient in desserts.
Rice cultivation in Florida has a small but growing place in the market as it is primarily concentrated in and around the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA), mainly in Palm Beach County. As of 2023, about 24,000 acres of rice grow in Florida.
“This acreage has been fairly consistent the past five years,” said Matthew VanWeelden, UF/IFAS Extension Palm Beach County agronomic crops agent. “In terms of total U.S. production, Florida accounts for only about 1% of the acreage. There is potential for growth.”
The top three rice-producing states are Arkansas, with about 1.4 million acres; California, with approximately 508,000 acres and Louisiana, which produces about 480,000 acres.
While Florida’s rice production is relatively small compared to the rest of the United States, its cultivation offers significant benefits to the environment and the sugarcane fields of the EAA. These benefits include reductions in soil subsidence, improved pest management, water conservation, wildlife habitat, enhanced fertilizer efficiency and increased organic amendments from rice stubble.
To highlight the unique attributes of growing rice in Florida, UF/IFAS will host a free Rice Field Day on August 8 at the UF/IFAS Everglades Research and Education Center (UF/IFAS EREC). The workshop aims to educate new and existing growers as well as faculty with updated research. Continuing Education Credits will be available. Advance registration is required by August 6.
“Given our relatively small rice industry compared to other states, we invite anyone interested in learning about Florida rice,” said VanWeelden.
 
Rice seedlings growing in a greenhouse. Photo courtesy UF/ IFAS Photography.
Event Details:
Time: 8:15 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Location: UF/IFAS EREC, 3200 East Palm Beach Rd., Belle Glade
Cost: Free with lunch sponsored Florida Rice Growers Inc.
Advance registration required by August 6: Pleaser register here for the workshop.
 
Here is the day’s itinerary.
8:15 a.m.      Registration
8:30 a.m.      Welcome and announcements
Matthew VanWeelden conducting research on rice at the Everglades Research and Education Center. Photo courtesy UF/ IFAS Photography.
8:45 a.m.      Travel to field stop #l
9:10 a.m.      Benefits of flooded rice cultivation in the EAA, Jehangir Bhadha
9:40 a.m.      Update on Florida rice variety program, Matthew Vanweelden
10:20 a.m.    Overview and management of arthropod pests in rice, Julien Beuzelin, De-Fen Mou, Matthew VanWeelden
11:00 a.m.    Travel to field stop #2
11:25 a.m.    Weed management in rice, Calvin Odero
11:55 a.m.    Return to conference center for indoor sessions and break
Noon            Lunch (Sponsored by Florida Rice Growers Inc.)
12:45 p.m.    Planthoppers in Florida rice, De-Fen Mou
1:00 p.m.      Florida rice variety program 2023 results, Matthew VanWeelden
1:30 p.m.      Discussion and closing remarks
###
 
 
ABOUT UF/IFAS
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents. 
ifas.ufl.edu  |  @UF_IFAS
WHY FOOD IS OUR MIDDLE NAME
Feeding a hungry world takes effort. Nearly everything we do comes back to food: from growing it and getting it to consumers, to conserving natural resources and supporting agricultural efforts. Explore all the reasons why at ifas.ufl.edu/food or follow #FoodIsOurMiddleName.

Rice, the vital crop enjoyed by more than half the world’s population, boasts a versatility that’s hard to match. Across continents, many countries and cultures make the grain their own center of the plate, a side and even incorporate it as an ingredient in desserts. Rice cultivation in Florida has a small but growing place […]

Florida’s growing rice industry: Discover the potential and benefits of this versatile crop at the August 8 Field Day

In our last post in the &#8220;Grocery Shopping for Your Health&#8221; series, we focused on nuts, peanuts, and peanut butter. Today, we move on to rice, pasta and other grains. Pasta is one of those fast, inexpensive and easy meals to prepare, especially if you don&#8217;t have the time or desire to make your own [&#8230;]

In our last post in the &#8220;<a href="http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/sarasotaco/tag/groceryshoppingforyourhealth/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Grocery Shopping for Your Health</a>&#8221; series, we focused on <a href="http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/sarasotaco/?p=11012" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">nuts, peanuts, and peanut butter</a>. Today, we move on to rice, pasta and other grains.
<a href="http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/sarasotaco/files/2021/08/2021_FCS_iconGrocShop4YrHealth_ufBluGrn_CROP300x300TINY.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-11003 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="Grocery Shopping for Your Health icon" width="150" height="150" data-src="http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/sarasotaco/files/2021/08/2021_FCS_iconGrocShop4YrHealth_ufBluGrn_CROP300x300TINY-150x150.png"></a>Pasta is one of those fast, inexpensive and easy meals to prepare, especially if you don&#8217;t have the time or desire to make your own special sauce. Traditionally, pasta is made from durum wheat and whole wheat, but we can find a much larger selection of pastas using vegetable or herb flours and legume blends. Grocery stores offer a good selection of these, so don&#8217;t be shy about trying something new.
If you&#8217;re looking for better health benefits in your spaghetti, lasagna, macaroni, fettuccine or other pasta meal, go with the whole-wheat varieties. Whole-wheat pasta is higher in fiber, also known as complex carbohydrates. In fact, whole-wheat pasta contains almost three times as much fiber as white flour pasta. So, for example, a half cup of whole-wheat pasta has about 3 grams of fiber compared with 1 gram of fiber in traditional pasta.
But, I often hear that the texture of whole-wheat pasta is unappealing. Some manufacturers are battling that by now blending whole-wheat with white flour to create the more-familiar texture. If you choose a blended flour pasta, you are still ahead of the game.
One more thing: to save on fat, skip the oil when cooking your pasta. If you don&#8217;t want your pasta to stick together, toss it with some sauce immediately after you drain it.
<a href="http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/sarasotaco/files/2021/08/2021_FCS_blogGroceryShop_pastaRiceGrains01_pixabayCROP1000x928TINY.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignright wp-image-11474 size-medium lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="Rice and pasta in separate piles. [CREDIT: pixabay.com]" width="300" height="278" data-src="http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/sarasotaco/files/2021/08/2021_FCS_blogGroceryShop_pastaRiceGrains01_pixabayCROP1000x928TINY-300x278.png"></a>So, where else can you boost the amount of nutrients in your pasta meals? Whether you are creating your own sauce or opening a jar of sauce, try adding ingredients like chopped onions, fresh garlic, sliced mushrooms, chopped fresh spinach, peppers, carrots and/or some fresh herbs. All of these ingredients will contribute to the nutrient content of your sauce, and they&#8217;ll enhance the flavor.
Let&#8217;s move down the aisle a bit to where we can find rice. Here again, we&#8217;re looking for healthier options. On that front, brown rice will contain the most nutrients, followed by polished white rice, then instant rice.
But, don&#8217;t limit yourself to just plain rice. Try a specialty rice such as basmati or jasmine rice. Each has a fragrant flavor and wonderful aroma. Or, try arborio rice, a short-grain variety which lends a creamy texture to risotto, rice pudding, and other dishes. I use short-grain rice whenever I prepare stuffed peppers, tomatoes or stuffed zucchini for my family.
<div style="float: right;width: 25%;border: 1px solid #000000;background-color: #cfe6c3;padding: 0.5em 1%;margin-left: 2%;text-align: center;font-size: 0.9em;font-style: italic;line-height: 1.2em">PRO TIP 
When cooking rice, add a teaspoon of olive oil to the cooking liquid. And, cook on low heat with the lid on.</div>
Here is a tip for cooking rice, one I always use: add about a teaspoon of olive oil into the cooking liquid. In most cases, I also use low-salted broth as my cooking liquid. And, once I pour the rice into the saucepan, I turn the heat as low as it can go and leave the lid on while cooking. No peeking!
Another tip with rice is to consider adding your own seasonings when preparing, rather than using packages with seasoning packets. Not only will you save money but you also can flavor the rice to your liking while controlling the amount of salt in your dishes. Rice box mixes are tasty, but generally pack in added salt. If you want to use a pre-seasoned package, for taste or convenience or whatever reason, you still save a little money and control the salt levels simply by using just half of the seasoning packet (saving the rest for another day or dish).
Finally, if you want to try some new or unique grains in your meals, browse the store shelves for other products like barley, bulgur wheat, couscous, quinoa, kasha or many others. These grains add a lot of nutrients, flavor and a variety of texture to a dish. Many go well in soups, stews, salads and casseroles, and you can find a wealth of recipes online to follow.
Remember, adding a favored grain or pasta to your favorite dish helps stretch your food dollar, and you can do this with flavor and nutrition. Plus, you can save the extras as lunch the next day or the next evening meal.
NEXT: We tour the breakfast cereals aisle.

In our last post in the “Grocery Shopping for Your Health” series, we focused on nuts, peanuts, and peanut butter. Today, we move on to rice, pasta and other grains.
Pasta is one of those fast, inexpensive and easy meals to prepare, especially if you don’t have the time or desire to make your own special sauce. Traditionally, pasta is made from durum wheat and whole wheat, but we can find a much larger selection of pastas using vegetable or herb flours and legume blends. Grocery stores offer a good selection of these, so don’t be shy about trying something new.
If you’re looking for better health benefits in your spaghetti, lasagna, macaroni, fettuccine or other pasta meal, go with the whole-wheat varieties. Whole-wheat pasta is higher in fiber, also known as complex carbohydrates. In fact, whole-wheat pasta contains almost three times as much fiber as white flour pasta. So, for example, a half cup of whole-wheat pasta has about 3 grams of fiber compared with 1 gram of fiber in traditional pasta.
But, I often hear that the texture of whole-wheat pasta is unappealing. Some manufacturers are battling that by now blending whole-wheat with white flour to create the more-familiar texture. If you choose a blended flour pasta, you are still ahead of the game.
One more thing: to save on fat, skip the oil when cooking your pasta. If you don’t want your pasta to stick together, toss it with some sauce immediately after you drain it.
So, where else can you boost the amount of nutrients in your pasta meals? Whether you are creating your own sauce or opening a jar of sauce, try adding ingredients like chopped onions, fresh garlic, sliced mushrooms, chopped fresh spinach, peppers, carrots and/or some fresh herbs. All of these ingredients will contribute to the nutrient content of your sauce, and they’ll enhance the flavor.
Let’s move down the aisle a bit to where we can find rice. Here again, we’re looking for healthier options. On that front, brown rice will contain the most nutrients, followed by polished white rice, then instant rice.
But, don’t limit yourself to just plain rice. Try a specialty rice such as basmati or jasmine rice. Each has a fragrant flavor and wonderful aroma. Or, try arborio rice, a short-grain variety which lends a creamy texture to risotto, rice pudding, and other dishes. I use short-grain rice whenever I prepare stuffed peppers, tomatoes or stuffed zucchini for my family.
PRO TIP
Here is a tip for cooking rice, one I always use: add about a teaspoon of olive oil into the cooking liquid. In most cases, I also use low-salted broth as my cooking liquid. And, once I pour the rice into the saucepan, I turn the heat as low as it can go and leave the lid on while cooking. No peeking!
Another tip with rice is to consider adding your own seasonings when preparing, rather than using packages with seasoning packets. Not only will you save money but you also can flavor the rice to your liking while controlling the amount of salt in your dishes. Rice box mixes are tasty, but generally pack in added salt. If you want to use a pre-seasoned package, for taste or convenience or whatever reason, you still save a little money and control the salt levels simply by using just half of the seasoning packet (saving the rest for another day or dish).
Finally, if you want to try some new or unique grains in your meals, browse the store shelves for other products like barley, bulgur wheat, couscous, quinoa, kasha or many others. These grains add a lot of nutrients, flavor and a variety of texture to a dish. Many go well in soups, stews, salads and casseroles, and you can find a wealth of recipes online to follow.
Remember, adding a favored grain or pasta to your favorite dish helps stretch your food dollar, and you can do this with flavor and nutrition. Plus, you can save the extras as lunch the next day or the next evening meal.
NEXT: We tour the breakfast cereals aisle.

In our last post in the “Grocery Shopping for Your Health” series, we focused on nuts, peanuts, and peanut butter. Today, we move on to rice, pasta and other grains. Pasta is one of those fast, inexpensive and easy meals to prepare, especially if you don’t have the time or desire to make your own […]

Grocery Shopping for Your Health: Rice, pasta, and other grains

We set aside September to celebrate National Rice Month. While it is a minor crop in Florida, it still plays an important role. The vast majority of rice grown is in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA). Producers grow it in rotation with sugar cane, which helps with improving soil quality in those fields. “Cultivating rice [&#8230;]

We set aside September to celebrate <a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/swsdept/2019/09/19/september-is-national-rice-month-florida-should-celebrate-this-homegrown-crop/">National Rice Month</a>. While it is a minor crop in Florida, it still plays an important role. The vast majority of rice grown is in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA). Producers grow it in rotation with sugar cane, which helps with improving soil quality in those fields.
<figure id="attachment_1769" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1769" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/swsdept/files/2020/09/rice-field_JB.jpeg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-1769 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="rice field in Florida" width="300" height="169" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/swsdept/files/2020/09/rice-field_JB-300x169.jpeg"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-1769" class="wp-caption-text">A rice field in the EAA. (photo from Jehangir Bhadha)</figcaption></figure>
“Cultivating rice in Florida is unique because the crop generally does not need fertilizer. This is because the plants draw on excess phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium in the soil from the previous sugarcane or vegetable crop,” said Dr. Jehangir Bhadha, assistant professor of soil, water, and nutrient management in the UF/IFAS Soil and Water Sciences Department.
Bhadha is one of the authors of <a href="https://erec.ifas.ufl.edu/media/erecifasufledu/docs/Rice-Handbook_2018.pdf">Rice Production in Florida: A Handbook</a> from UF/IFAS Extension. With production steadily rising in the state, the handbook is a useful resource for Florida producers, researchers, and the general public, which gets updated regularly.
“The handbook includes such topics as rice variety trials, water management, nutrients, pest and disease management, and information related to post-harvest processing,” Bhadha explained.
<h5>Rice Products</h5>
Most consumers know table rice as the main product, but they are not familiar with the many other markets for it. <a href="https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ag438">According to UF/IFAS researchers</a>, broken rice is valued at 50-60 percent of what whole kernel rice demands. Still, there are many uses for that less than perfect piece.
<figure id="attachment_1770" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1770" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/swsdept/files/2020/09/rice-harvest_JB.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-1770 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="rice being harvested in Florida" width="300" height="225" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/swsdept/files/2020/09/rice-harvest_JB-300x225.png"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-1770" class="wp-caption-text">Rice harvest in Florida. (photo from Jehangir Bhadha)</figcaption></figure>
Being gluten-free, rice brokens, as the pieces are called, can be ground into rice flour. Increased demand for this flour is due, in large part, to the number of people diagnosed with Celiac disease. Baby food also includes rice flour as an ingredient. Biodegradable and edible films and edible cutlery also use flour and rice starch.
“The variety of uses range from pet food to brewing applications,” Bhadha said. “Rice bran is also in cattle feed, poultry litter, a soil amendment and bedding material for plants, and a medium to clean up major oil spills.”
<h5>Rice Research</h5>
UF/IFAS researchers have been studying rice for decades. Research has shown that the production of flooded rice provides several benefits to the agroecosystem. Flooding fields greatly reduces the negative impacts from issues related to soil subsidence, improves soil quality, and reduces nutrient depletion and insect pests. This, in turn, enhances the subsequent sugar cane crop and maximizes the longevity of the soil by reducing soil loss due to oxidation. In addition, incorporating it as a rotation crop in the EAA during the summer months also provides local employment.
<figure id="attachment_1771" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1771" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/swsdept/files/2020/09/Bhadha-monitor-rice_JB.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-1771 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="300" height="200" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/swsdept/files/2020/09/Bhadha-monitor-rice_JB-300x200.png"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-1771" class="wp-caption-text">Jehangir Bhadha (left) and a colleague conducting research on rice at the Everglades Research and Education Center. (UF/IFAS Photo by Tyler Jones)</figcaption></figure>
As for new research, Bhadha and his IFAS colleagues are working on topics related to utilizing flooded rice as a treatment technology to reduce nutrient loading; identifying varieties that require fewer nutrient inputs, yet provide high yields; and exploring the potential of growing rice during the winter months instead of rendering fields fallow.
For more information on the topic, contact Dr. Bhadha at <a href="mailto:jango@ufl.edu">jango@ufl.edu</a> and connect with him and his research on Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/UFSustainableAg">@UFSustainableAg</a>.

We set aside September to celebrate National Rice Month. While it is a minor crop in Florida, it still plays an important role. The vast majority of rice grown is in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA). Producers grow it in rotation with sugar cane, which helps with improving soil quality in those fields.
A rice field in the EAA. (photo from Jehangir Bhadha)
“Cultivating rice in Florida is unique because the crop generally does not need fertilizer. This is because the plants draw on excess phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium in the soil from the previous sugarcane or vegetable crop,” said Dr. Jehangir Bhadha, assistant professor of soil, water, and nutrient management in the UF/IFAS Soil and Water Sciences Department.
Bhadha is one of the authors of Rice Production in Florida: A Handbook from UF/IFAS Extension. With production steadily rising in the state, the handbook is a useful resource for Florida producers, researchers, and the general public, which gets updated regularly.
“The handbook includes such topics as rice variety trials, water management, nutrients, pest and disease management, and information related to post-harvest processing,” Bhadha explained.
Rice Products
Most consumers know table rice as the main product, but they are not familiar with the many other markets for it. According to UF/IFAS researchers, broken rice is valued at 50-60 percent of what whole kernel rice demands. Still, there are many uses for that less than perfect piece.
Rice harvest in Florida. (photo from Jehangir Bhadha)
Being gluten-free, rice brokens, as the pieces are called, can be ground into rice flour. Increased demand for this flour is due, in large part, to the number of people diagnosed with Celiac disease. Baby food also includes rice flour as an ingredient. Biodegradable and edible films and edible cutlery also use flour and rice starch.
“The variety of uses range from pet food to brewing applications,” Bhadha said. “Rice bran is also in cattle feed, poultry litter, a soil amendment and bedding material for plants, and a medium to clean up major oil spills.”
Rice Research
UF/IFAS researchers have been studying rice for decades. Research has shown that the production of flooded rice provides several benefits to the agroecosystem. Flooding fields greatly reduces the negative impacts from issues related to soil subsidence, improves soil quality, and reduces nutrient depletion and insect pests. This, in turn, enhances the subsequent sugar cane crop and maximizes the longevity of the soil by reducing soil loss due to oxidation. In addition, incorporating it as a rotation crop in the EAA during the summer months also provides local employment.
Jehangir Bhadha (left) and a colleague conducting research on rice at the Everglades Research and Education Center. (UF/IFAS Photo by Tyler Jones)
As for new research, Bhadha and his IFAS colleagues are working on topics related to utilizing flooded rice as a treatment technology to reduce nutrient loading; identifying varieties that require fewer nutrient inputs, yet provide high yields; and exploring the potential of growing rice during the winter months instead of rendering fields fallow.
For more information on the topic, contact Dr. Bhadha at jango@ufl.edu and connect with him and his research on Twitter @UFSustainableAg.

We set aside September to celebrate National Rice Month. While it is a minor crop in Florida, it still plays an important role. The vast majority of rice grown is in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA). Producers grow it in rotation with sugar cane, which helps with improving soil quality in those fields. “Cultivating rice […]

September is National Rice Month

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September is National Rice Month

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