Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 7612 IREC Farmers' Newsletter No. 195 ­ – Rice R&D 2016 Brian Dunn, Tina Dunn, Craig Hodges and Chris Dawe NSW Department of Primary Industries, Yanco Agricultural Institute John Fowler Murray Local Land Services, Deniliquin T HE RIRDC-funded project Influence of plant population on rice growth and grain yield has been investigating the optimum plant population required to maximise rice grain yield, and determining how low plant populations can go before yield is reduced and if high plant populations lead to reduced grain yield due to increased sterility. A series of 20 field experiments was established during the three years of the project to fully investigate plant populations in both aerial and drill sown rice. Experiments were located in both the Murrumbidgee and Murray valleys, covering a range of soil types and using several current rice varieties. The aerial sown experiments were conducted in commercial farmers’ fields (Table 1). A range of sowing rates and row spacing was included in the drill sown experiments and nitrogen rates and timing were also investigated (Table 2). Intensive monitoring and data collection was conducted on the experiments to determine the factors involved in plant population that impact rice grain yield. Recommended population No difference in grain yield was observed for plant populations between 40 and Researchers have determined guidelines of plant populations and sowing rates for current rice growing practices in the Murrumbidgee and Murray valleys. QUICK TAKE l The recommended plant population for all current commercial rice varieties in the Murray and Murrumbidgee valleys is 100–300 plants/m2 . l  Rice grain yields do not decline due to plant number until plant populations are less than 40 plants/m2 . l The minimum plant population required to cover input costs of production is 10 plants/m2 , if plants are uniformly spaced and best management practice is followed. l  It is not recommended to sow more than 150 kg/ha of seed for any variety or sowing method. l Chris Dawe and Tina Dunn counting plants in one of the aerial sown plant population experiments. TARGET PLANT POPULATION FOR YIELD AND PROFIT