Demonstration of center pivot on rice. Wheel tracks are very shallow - less than 2 inches deep.
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| Templeton | Wyatt, MO |
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| Wheel tracks, Sikeston, MO | 18.4 x 26 tires |
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| Wheel tracks, SIkeston, MO | different soil |
Historically, late in the season, center pivot wheel tracks have been a challenge. The Circles for Rice team has observed that matching the right drive unit hardware with the right management can help the center pivot successfully travel around the field for the entire growing season.
U.S. Harvest
As I mentioned in last week's post, harvest has begun in the United States and slowly continues as the center pivot rice fields continue to mature.
The wide range of soil types in a particular field is a unique characteristic present in center pivot-irrigated rice, and not present in traditionally flooded rice. Some of this year’s Circles for Rice fields have soils ranging from fine sand to silt loam within the same field. Depending on the soil type(s), the rice matures at slightly different rates across the board.
Initial yield data under the center pivots has started to come in; these numbers have not been finalized, but final numbers will be reported later this year both on this blog and on the www.circlesforrice.com website. Two fields have so far been cut: our field near Eagle Lake, Texas, and our field in Scott, Arkansas. Later this week, another field will be cut, and one or two more fields will be cut the week of August 30th.
Eagle Lake, Texas
Initial yield data has indicated a range from 149 bu/ac (dry weight, and where weed control was not optimum) to 172 bu/ac (dry weight, and where there was better weed control).
Scott, Arkansas
Initial yield data has indicated a range from 135 bu/ac (dry weight) to over 185 bu/ac (dry weight).
How is your harvest progressing? Share with us in the Comments box!
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