That bare patch in rice might not be disease, insect or soil problem, Hardke says
July 7, 2023
By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast facts:
- What happens with strikes depends of depth of flood
- Additional Rice & Advice episodes available
(304 words)
(Newsrooms: Download photos of rice struck by lightning)
STUTTGART, Ark. — When it comes to diagnosing problems in rice, farmers have a lot to choose from including disease, drought, flood, insects, soil health and weeds. However, Jarrod Hardke, extension rice agronomist for the University of Arkansas System Division, is adding a new possibility to the list: lightning.
In his June 28 “Rice and Advice” episode on YouTube and Instagram, Hardke showed an oddly shaped patch of young row rice that seemed to be more cracked and bare soil than rice.
“Right off the bat, you can see the rice in this area definitely has a problem,” he said. Pulling closer and pointing to some blackened plants, “This rice pretty much looks like a crispy critter.”
Hardke said the irregular shape of the affected area “can be explained by the lightning hitting it when the water is on the field.”
Often when a lightning strike happens in a rice field without water, the resulting pattern is “more of a circular appearance overall to the affected area. Right at the center, there will be maybe a one- or two-foot circle that just looks like a burnt little hay-filled spot in the middle of a bullseye.”
But if it hits standing water, “there’s no telling which direction it’s going to go,” he said. “Flood depth and a lot of other factors are going to change the impact on the rice and everything surrounding it.
“It’s really just one of those oddities,” Hardke said.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen
agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption
of best practices. The Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work
within the nation’s historic land grant education system through the Agricultural
Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas
System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension
and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex,
gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital
or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and
is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
# # #
Media contact: Mary Hightower
mhightower@uada.edu