The organic rice research project in Texas has taken a new turn with $1 million grants from the federal government to the scientists of Texas A&M AgriLife Research. Conventionally methods of farming have seen a steady decline in the state over the past decade and the scientists have been studying the organic methods of farming for quite some time.
The promising future of organic rice
There have been two different studies being conducted in Texas funded by the United States Department of Agriculture. Dr. Fugen Dou from Beaumont and his team of scientists from Arkansas, College Station, South Carolina, Alabama, and Corpus Christi would be studying on high-quality organic rice yield using eco-friendly methods.
The area being studied is an organic rice field that lies in Beaumont, Texas, which has perfect conditions required for the research project. Rice paddies are grown in a different method while compared to other crops and thus common organic farming methods will not apply to rice farming.
The projects focus on reduction of greenhouse gas emissions on organic farms that grow rice, improving soil quality, and effect of different organic farming methods on the quality of rice and quantity of yield.
As organic rice farming causes soil carbon sequestration from the input of organic matter into the soil, there is an increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere around the farm. The research group has set aside $727,000 to determine the effects of various organic rice farming methods on greenhouse gas emissions.
A previous research conducted by Dou helped in increasing soil quality using ryegrass and clover cover crops on clay soils. He also provided a few organic soil amendments to improve yield quantity and quality with Rhizogen and Nature Safe. When clover is planted before organic rice, it made a positive impact on the yield of organic rice. Dou aims to pursue this line of study further with the present project.
Another $225,000 is devoted towards studying the diseases in rice crops, and the severity of such disease. Furthermore, Dou’s research group intends to read into the impact of different concentrations of dissolved materials like organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, and salinity on soil and water quality. The projects are scheduled to begin in 2015, and already show a promising future.
Organic rice farming influences the use of promotional canvas shopping bags
With the state of Texas excited about the increasing rate of organic farming, various vendors in the markets are leaning towards promoting environmentalism with promotional canvas shopping bags. Soon enough, Texas will have citizens flaunting their high-quality organic rice filled bright-colored eco-friendly canvas shopping bags on the streets.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/taac-orr021913.php
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