B.R. Wells RICE RESEARCH STUDIES R.J. Norman and J.-F. Meullenet, editors ARKANSAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION Division of Agriculture University of Arkansas August 2001 Research Series 485 Layout and editing by Marci A. Milus. Technical editing and cover design by Cam Romund. Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, Fayetteville. Milo J. Shult, Vice President for Agriculture and Director; Gregory J. Weidemann, Associate Director. PS1.20PM65. The Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station follows a nondiscriminatory policy in programs and employment. ISSN:0099-5010 CODEN:AKAMA6 ISSN:0099-5010 CODEN:AKAMA6 B.R. Wells R I C E Research Studies 2 0 0 0 R.J. Norman and J.-F. Meullenet, editors Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701 DEDICATED IN MEMORY OF Bobby R. Wells Dr. Bobby R. Wells was born July 30, 1934, at Wickliffe, KY. He received his B.S. in Agriculture from Murray State University in 1959, his M.S. in Agronomy from the University of Arkansas in 1961, and his Ph.D. in Soils from the University of Missouri in 1964. Dr. Wells joined the faculty of the University of Arkansas in 1966 after two years as an Assistant Professor at Murray State University. He spent his first 16 years at the U of A Rice Research and Extension Center near Stuttgart. In 1982, he moved to the U of A Department of Agronomy in Fayetteville. Dr. Wells was a world-renowned expert on rice production with special empha- sis on rice nutrition and soil fertility. He was very active in the Rice Technical Work- ing Group (RTWG) where he served on several committees, chaired and/or moder- ated Rice Culture sections at the meetings and was a past Secretary and Chairman of the RTWG. He loved being a Professor and was an outstanding teacher and a mentor to numerous graduate students. Dr. Wells developed an upper-level course in rice production and taught it for many years. Dr. Wells was appointed Head of the U of A Department of Agronomy in 1993 and became University Professor that year in rec- ognition of his outstanding contributions to research, service and teaching. Among the awards he received were: the Outstanding Faculty Award from the U of A Department of Agronomy (1981), the Distinguished Rice Research and/or Education Award from the Rice Technical Working Group (1988) and the Outstand- ing Researcher Award from the Arkansas Association of Cooperative Extension Spe- cialists (1992). He was named a Fellow in the American Society of Agronomy (1993) and was awarded, posthumously, the Distinguished Service Award from the RTWG (1998). Dr. Wells edited this series when it was titled Arkansas Rice Research Studies from the publication’s inception in 1991 until his untimely death in 1996. Because of Dr. Wells’ contribution to rice research and this publication, it was renamed the B.R. Wells Rice Research Studies in his memory starting with the 1996 series. FEATURED RICE COLLEAGUE Dr. George E. Templeton June 27, 1931–November 24, 1996 George Earl Templeton was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on June 27, 1931 and died too young, of cancer, November 24, 1996. His dedication to his professional career was unrivaled and he truly cherished his family: true love and wife, Bobbie Nell; their children Earl, Gary, Jan, and Larry; and several grandchildren. Dr. Templeton received the Bachelor of Science in Agriculture in 1953 and the Master of Science in Plant Pathology in 1954 from the University of Arkansas. He then completed 2 years military service at Fort Dietrich, Maryland working on the biological weapon potential of the rice blast fungus. This sparked a lifelong interest in diseases of rice. Following his brief military stint, he pursued a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology at the University of Wisconsin working on white tip nematode disease of rice. He com- pleted his degree in 1958 and returned to the University of Arkansas as Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology with responsibility for research on diseases of rice and other small grain crops. During the 1960s, Dr. Templeton worked tirelessly on practical control of rice diseases in Arkansas. His work on rice kernel smut is still routinely cited around the world and he worked out improved management options at the time for white tip nema- tode disease, straighthead, and rice blast. He collaborated well with other scientists and was involved in the development of several rice varieties with Dr. Ted Johnston. In the late 1960s, Dr. Roy Smith noticed something was killing his northern jointvetch plants in weed control plots at the Rice Station near Stuttgart, Arkansas. He contacted Dr. Templeton who found that a fungus in the genus Colletotrichum was ap- parently killing the plants. Dr. Templeton organized a team including Dr. Smith, Jim Daniels, Dr. David TeBeest, and others to conduct research that led to the commercial use of the fungus, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides f. sp. aeschynomene, as Collego®, the first mycoherbicide. This work resulted in an explosion of research around the world on biological control of weeds and brough international recognition to the team members. Dr. Templeton made other important discoveries as well, including tentoxin – the first fungal phytotoxin isolated and purified – and gloeosporone, one of the first fungal spore germination inhibitors characterized. His research resulted in more than 130 scientific papers and he received many research awards including: Outstanding Weed Science Article 1973 (Weed Science Society of America); The John White Award for Excellence in Research, The Ruth Allen Award, Fellow of the American Phytopathological Society, USDA Superior Service Award, and the Spitze Prize. Dr. Templeton was a valued teacher who created and taught Identification of Fungal Plant Pathogens to graduate students for many years at the University. He often used rice diseases as examples for the students, and frequently remarked that a complete plant pathology education was possible using just rice and its many disease problems for coursework. Besides service to Arkansas growers, Dr. Templeton actively served his profes- sion and the University through state, national, and international activities. Dr. Templeton was president of the Arkansas Academy of Sciences in the early 1970s. He established the Biocontrol Committee of the American Phytopathological Society and Southern Regional Project S-136 on Biocontrol of Weeds with fungi. He served as a member of ESCOP and testified before the U.S. House on biocontrol issues. He was an excellent ambassador for Arkansas and the University in his many travels to international meetings and work in Egypt on rice. He was one of the first faculty to achieve the rank of University Professor in 1985, and Distinguished Professor in 1991. Dr. Templeton had an abiding interest in history and maintained the plant pathology herbarium at the University for many years. He also collected many his- toric papers on rice, plant pathology, and agriculture from early Arkansas research- ers. These papers are now maintained by the University of Arkansas Special Collec- tions Section in Mullins Library. Dr. Templeton was also a tireless advocate for the University and the College of Agriculture, helping to obtain donations leading to the construction of the Rosen Alternative Pest Control Center. He was the principal force in securing several mil- lion dollars in federal funds to support Alternative Pest Control Research at the Uni- versity in the early 1990s. Dr. Templeton’s interest in rice pathology reawakened in 1992 and he helped establish a comprehensive rice disease research program in 1993, funded by the Rice Research and Promotion Board. He also resumed field work that year, helping estab- lish the Arkansas Rice Disease Monitoring Program – through which different rice varieties are planted on farms throughout the rice region of the state and subse- quently monitored for different diseases, on-farm yield, and quality performance. He co-authored several papers in the Arkansas Rice Research Series prior to his death. Dr. George Templeton’s legacy continues around the world through his influ- ence on the many graduate students he mentored. Despite their different backgrounds and subsequent career paths, all remember his humor, his care for others, his self- lessness, and his quest for excellence. We honor his memory. FOREWORD Research reports contained in this publication may represent preliminary or only a single year of results; therefore, these results should not be used as a basis for long-term recommendations. Several research reports in this publication will appear in other Arkansas Agri- cultural Experiment Station publications. This duplication is the result of the overlap in research coverage between disciplines and our effort to inform Arkansas rice pro- ducers of all the research being conducted with funds from the rice check-off. This publication also contains research funded by industry, and federal and state agencies. Use of products and trade names in any of the research reports does not consti- tute a guarantee or warranty of the products named and does not signify that these products are approved to the exclusion of comparable products. All authors are either current or former faculty, staff, and students of the Uni- versity of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, or scientists with the United States De- partment of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service. For further information about any author, contact Communication Services in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricul- tural, Food and Life Sciences at (501) 575-5647. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Most of the research results in this publication were made possible through funding provided by the rice farmers of Arkansas and administered by the Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board. We express sincere appreciation to the farmers and to the members of the Rice Research and Promotion Board for their vital financial support of these programs. The Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board John Andrews Walnut Ridge George Dunklin, Jr.