Innovations in Controlling Riceworm in Cultivated Wild Rice

Principal Investigator: Jenny Kimball

Project Description: Riceworm is the most problematic pest in cultivated northern wild rice resulting in severe economic losses if insecticides are not applied in a timely manner. In 2018, the European Union (EU) implemented new regulations capping the maximum residue levels (MRL) of lambda-cyhalothrin, the active ingredient in the most widespread riceworm control utilized by the cultivated wild rice industry. As a high percentage of Minnesotan cultivated wild rice is exported to the EU (~70-85%), there is an urgent need to evaluate alternative insecticides for the management of riceworm. We propose to evaluate five different modes of action for riceworm management at two grower locations (Gonvick, MN and Aitken, MN) during the 2019 and 2020 growing seasons. Due to the unique challenges of working in an aquatic agricultural production system, we also propose to evaluate the feasibility of applying insecticides in the research program via drone. This will improve the safety of pesticide applicators in this challenging environment and if successful, can be used for other pesticide applications. Additionally, we propose to use water sensitive paper to compare research application techniques to best replicate expected results obtained from aerial applications, the standard commercial production practice.

Project Years: 2020-2021

Funding Source: Rapid Agricultural Response Fund