Impact of volunteer rice infestation on yield and grain quality of rice.
BACKGROUND
Volunteer rice (Oryza sativa L.) grains may differ in physicochemical traits from cultivated rice, which may reduce the quality of harvested rice grain. To evaluate the effect of volunteer rice on cultivated rice, fields were surveyed in Arkansas in 2012.


RESULTS
Cropping history that included hybrid cultivars in the previous two years (2010 and 2011) had higher volunteer rice infestation (20%) compared with fields planted previously with inbred rice (5.5%). The total grain yield of rice was reduced by 0.4% for every 1% increase in volunteer rice density. The grain quality did not change in fields planted with the same cultivar for three years. Volunteer rice density of at least 7.6% negatively impacted the head rice and when infestation reached 17.7%, it also reduced the rice grain yield. The protein and amylose contents of rice were not affected until volunteer rice infestation exceeded 30%.


CONCLUSIONS
Crop rotation systems that include hybrid rice are expected to have higher volunteer rice infestation than systems without hybrid rice. It is predicted that, at 8% infestation, volunteer rice will start to impact head rice yield and will reduce total yield at 18% infestation. It could alter the chemical quality of rice grain at >30% infestation. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.
Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA.
Vijay
V
Singh
Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA.
Nilda R
NR
Burgos
Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA.
Shilpa
S
Singh
USDA ARS, Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center, Stuttgart, AR, USA.
David R
DR
Gealy
Agricultural Statistics Laboratory, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA.
Edward E
EE
Gbur
Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA.
Ana L
AL
Caicedo
D001131:Arkansas; D000069599:Crop Production; D002523:Edible Grain / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology* / Q000592:standards; D012275:Oryza / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*
Clearfield rice; amylose content; chalkiness; hybrid rice; milling yield; non-hybrid rice; protein content