by Editor 

The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center will host the 2026 Rice Field Day on Aug. 6 at the Rice Research and Extension Center, offering growers the latest research on rice breeding, production practices and emerging technologies.

The free event will be held at the Rice Research and Extension Center, 2900 Highway 130 East in Stuttgart. Walk-up registration will be available on the day of the event.

Two field tours, beginning at 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., will each last about two hours and include eight research presentations covering rice variety development, disease management, production practices and new technologies for Arkansas and Mid-South rice production.

The first tour will feature updates on long grain, medium grain and aromatic rice breeding, along with the latest Arkansas production recommendations, fertility management, integrated pest management, seed treatments and cultivar tolerance. Researchers will also present findings on rice water weevil thresholds, pyrethroid-resistant rice stink bug management and insect and disease interactions.

USDA Agricultural Research Service scientists will discuss germplasm development focused on improving tolerance to high nighttime temperatures while highlighting 16 germplasm lines and varieties that contribute to yield stability, grain quality and disease resistance. The presentation will also include Sallah, an aromatic variety developed in partnership with the Division of Agriculture’s Foundation Seed Program.

The second tour will focus on developing improved long grain rice with greater tolerance to limited irrigation, heat, salinity and disease pressure. Additional sessions will cover crop-specific nutrient management, fertilizer recommendations, soil health, nutrient loss reduction, weed control research and irrigation technologies, including soil moisture sensors, computerized hole selection, surge irrigation and pit-less pump systems for furrow-irrigated rice.

An 11:30 a.m. luncheon will include a rice crop overview by Jarrod Hardke, professor and rice extension agronomist, along with updates from Division of Agriculture leadership and representatives from Producers Rice Mill and Riceland Foods.

The event will also feature presentations on rice genetics from USDA-ARS researchers. Scientists will describe how genomic resources and genetic markers are being used to accelerate development of improved U.S. commercial rice varieties with higher yields, improved grain quality and greater stress tolerance.

Researchers will also highlight the USDA-ARS National Small Grains Collection, which contains approximately 19,000 rice accessions from more than 100 countries. The collection provides genetic diversity that supports research on disease resistance, stress tolerance and grain quality improvements for future rice varieties.

Source: University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, “Rice Field Day offers latest guidance for Arkansas, Mid-South growers”

Published Date: August 2, 2026