Cultivar performance attributes in furrow‐irrigated rice production

Furrow‐irrigated rice (FIR; Oryza sativa L.) has grown in popularity across Arkansas and the Missouri Bootheel region, presenting a new set of production concerns compared with conventional, direct‐seeded, delayed‐flood rice production. The cultivars in commercial production today were all bred under the flood‐irrigated production system; therefore, their potential in FIR production is largely unknown. A study was conducted from 2022 to 2024 to evaluate 14 cultivars in the FIR production system. Nine site‐years were used for the evaluations in Missouri, with planting dates ranging from April 5 to May 19. The 14 cultivars evaluated included 8 long‐grain inbred varieties, 5 long‐grain hybrids, and 1 medium‐grain inbred variety. Cultivar performance varied, with the conventional hybrids RT7302 and XP753 producing the highest grain yields. However, head rice (HR) yield was highest among some of the inbred cultivars, including Ozark and PVL03. Field area significantly affected rice grain yield and HR yield. The bottom of the field produced a 37 bu ac −1 higher grain yield, or 20% higher, and 8.0% higher HR yield compared with the top of the field, when averaged across all cultivars. Lodging incidence also varied across cultivars, with six cultivars showing increased lodging at the top of the field compared with at the bottom. All the variables examined in this study, along with production costs, should be considered to determine which cultivars are most profitable to grow using the FIR system on an individual farm basis.