Progress on Breeding Rice Varieties in Mississippi.

The rice production area in Mississippi has averaged 209,000 acres during the past 15 years (2001-2015).  In 2015, rice was grown in over 250 farms located in 17 counties primarily using drill seeding. Yield averaged 7,200 bushels per acre and crop production value was $132 million. The choice of rice variety to plant is a key management decision each grower makes yearly. To provide growers with options on varieties to grow, Mississippi State University (MSU) since 1986 has maintained the only rice breeding program in Mississippi at its Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville.  Supported by the Mississippi Rice Promotion Board, this program has developed and released eight conventional varieties using the pedigree breeding method: Litton (1996), Priscilla (1997), Pace (2005), Bowman (2007), Rex (2010), CL 162 (2011), CL 163 (2015), and Thad (2016). These varieties were bred for varying trait combinations of high yield, semi-dwarf stature, long grain type, earliness, disease resistance, herbicide tolerance, and dual-purpose endosperm quality for both table and industrial use. Variety development from hybridization to release averaged 15.6 years, with one new variety being released every 3.75 years. The high seed cost of hybrid and herbicide technology-based systems has recently increased demand for better but affordable conventional variety options. For example, the pureline cultivar Rex has steadily increased its market share to at least 15%, generating estimated annual cash receipts of $1.26 million and statewide economic impact of $2.15 million.  Since Mississippi rice is primarily exported or used in the canning industry, developing varieties with grain quality traits important to end-users has been emphasized.  The latest releases CL163 and Thad, for example, both possess high amylose content, a trait favored by South American consumers and the US food processing industry. New strategies are being implemented to achieve higher genetic gain in the coming years.