Sowing delays, a record in Lombardy – RisoItaliano

As I write to you, yet another deluge in recent months is pouring down on the window. We are now at the end of May while rainfall and low temperatures continue to leave no respite in the Italian rice-growing area. This is complicating sowing and germination for many companies, requiring flexibility in decisions and timeliness in operations. In many cases the planting of the crop has taken place or will take place later than the needs of the crop cycle in relation to the average seasonal climate. We decided to analyze these issues with technicians who are experts in rice cultivation and rice growers’ union representatives. This is to delve deeper into what is happening, what the prospects are at an agronomic level and to understand the moods of those who are facing this laborious spring.

IN LOMBARDY MORE DELAYS

«I am encountering the most difficult situations in the Pavia and Milan areas – explains Marco Baino, agronomist from Corteva -. I believe this is due to a greater affinity of the Piedmontese territories with sowing in water, a technique that in Lombardy they hoped to avoid until the end, delaying the choices even further. In the provinces of Vercelli and Novara the land, which on average requires more time to become workable again after the rains, has led rice growers to “resign” themselves more easily to sowing in water. In these areas people are also more accustomed to this technique and therefore less refractory, despite the need for greater work commitment.

The Lombards, with mostly lighter soils, hoped to obtain a dry window, but were disappointed. Today they find themselves forced to sow in water and are significantly behind in processing. Overall, however, I expected there to be more chambers with submerged sowing, especially in the Piedmont areas where I still seem to see a 50-50 split between the two techniques despite the difficulties.”

ONE DELAY AFTER ANOTHER

«The problems are however present everywhere – continues the expert -. Many varieties, including medium-late cycle ones, are sown these days and short cycle varieties are intended for rooms in which the soil has not yet been prepared. The same basic processing for several companies did not take place in the best way, with chambers in which leveling and refinement of the soil did not present themselves at their best at the time of sowing. In short, the delays are widespread and overlap one another in different situations. This means that blooms will be delayed until late August, requiring higher than normal temperatures at that time. Subsequently the maturation will take place between September and October and also in this case the temperatures must be above average, to avoid problems in the processing yield”.

PROBLEMS IN TREATMENTS

«Even the first rice sown is suffering. Low temperatures harm the first stages of development of the plant, especially in the long Bs which are more sensitive to the cold, both in water and dry conditions. Then there are problems linked to water stagnation, also related to the difficulties in the aforementioned processes. In some cases, these problems have required reseeding by producers, causing economic damage.

Not to mention defense, the constant changes in field conditions and operational choices make it difficult to organize treatments in an optimal way. This undermines their effectiveness or in some cases nullifies them completely, developing problems that could become increasingly worse during the campaign. The conclusion of this sequence risks being a drop in production due to pathogens and weeds. However, the contribution of us technicians must be useful in facing these difficulties, in finding the right solution even more so in delicate moments like this.” Author: Ezio Bosso.