Efficacy of insecticide seed treatments on hybrid rice

A series of experiments were conducted in 2011 – 2012 to determine the efficacy of insecticide seed treatments in hybrid rice. Insecticide seed treatments have recently been labeled for rice water weevil control. These seed treatments provide effective control of the rice water weevil in the early developmental stages of rice. With the introduction of rice hybrids, seeding rates for rice have been reduced from 89.63 kg/ha on average to 39.21 kg/ha. The reduced seeding rate results in a reduction in the amount of product applied per acre for control of the rice water weevil. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of reduced seeding rates on the efficacy of insecticide seed treatments in rice by comparing the labeled rate of each insecticide to higher rates.