In the United States, weeds and insects in rice reduce yields by an estimated 17% and 8%, respectively; therefore, many attempts are made to reduce populations of both pests. A recent advance in weed management has been the development of rice lines resistant to herbicides. Although herbicide resistant varieties are resistant to their respective herbicides, resistant plants can be injured by herbicide applications. Depending on the severity of injury, suitability of plant tissue may be altered for insect pests. Experiments were designed to determine if Liberty Link rice (glufosinate resistant) would have an additional benefit to rice producers: resistance to the rice water weevil, the most important insect in rice grown in the United States. Current recommendations for Liberty Link are one application of glufosinate at the 2-3 leaf stage followed by a second application 7-10 days after the first at a rate of 28 oz/A and flooding 2 days after the second application. Using current recommendations, preliminary greenhouse studies have shown Liberty Link rice treated with glufosinate to be approximately 25% more resistant to rice water weevil than Liberty Link rice receiving no herbicide. Future experiments are planned to determine if resistance is seen in the field.
Species 1: Coleoptera Curculionidea Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus (rice water weevil)
Keywords: herbicide resistance
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA