— 32 IREC Farmers' Newsletter No. 200 — Spring 2018 Revised sowing dates Rice sowing dates have undergone some minor refinement again this season. Three seasons of data has provided us with the confidence to push the start of the sowing windows back by five days for many varieties when aerial and drill sowing (Table 3). It is important to note that sowing too early can be as bad as sowing too late with increased risk of the crop being affected by cold temperatures at microspore. Early sowing can also have a negative impact on whole grain yield with grain filling and dry down occurring during warmer temperatures. Therefore it is important that the new sowing date guidelines are followed. Table 3. Recommended sowing/first flush dates for rice varieties, regions and sowing methods Collection of 30 tiller samples at harvest for yield component analysis. Variety MIA/CIA Ideal sow/first flush time Murray Valley Ideal sow/first flush time Aerial/Dry broadcast Drill DPW Aerial/Dry broadcast Drill DPW Reiziq, Opus, Topaz, Doongara 25 Oct–5 Nov 20–31 Oct 10–25 Oct 20 Oct–5 Nov 15–25 Oct 5–20 Oct Sherpa, Langi 25 Oct–10 Nov 20 Oct–5 Nov 10–30 Oct 20 Oct–5 Nov 15–30 Oct 5–25 Oct Koshihikari, Illabong ­– ­– ­– 20–30 Oct# 10–25 Oct 1–20 Oct Viand 10–30 Nov 5–25 Nov 1–20 Nov 5–30 Nov 1–20 Nov 25 Oct–10 Nov YRK5 ­– ­– ­– ­– 1–20 Nov 25 Oct–10 Nov # Do not aerial sow or dry broadcast Koshihikari or YRK5 as this will increase lodging potential — 32 IREC Farmers' Newsletter No. 200 — Spring 2018 Best practice for new rice varieties