Soils that have been planted to rice for many years have a poor physical condition. Factors contributing to poor physical condition of the soils are: Low content of organic matter, poor internal drainage, working the land when it is wet, grazing under wet conditions, submergence over extended periods, and a high content of silt and clay.

A hard rain on a prepared seedbed,followed by rapid drying, results in a hard crust, which seals the soil surface. This condition prevents the emergence of young seedlings and retards the growth of young plants. A solution to this problem has been found for many crops following rice.

Winter and summer grasses, white-clovers, lespedeza, oats, wheat, and flax have been grown successfully by seeding broadcast in rice stubble without any seedbed preparation. Forage and seed yields compare favorably with yields under prepared seedbed conditions. Adequate fertilization is necessary with either method of seeding.

A trend toward this method of seeding is expected because seedbed preparation involves no expense; seeding and fertilization by airplane can be made at any time that is convenient to the farmer, regardless of conditions of soil moisture; erosion can be controlled by a cover of stubble, straw, and undisturbed topsoil; and less bogging by livestock occurs when wet land has to be grazed.

Seedlings exhibit more vigor when they are established in a stubble and straw-covered surface than in a hard-crust surface, which sometimes follows preparation of the seedbed.

The production of large quantities of rice in excess of domestic consumption and export needs began in 1954. Severe acreage reductions were made under Government price-support and acreage-control program. Diversion of land once in rice to uses that will produce an economic return is necessary in the region.

RESEARCH STUDIES by the Texas and Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Stations show that few other crops are adapted to the poorly drained, highly impervious soils of the Coastal Prairie region. The major potential use for a large acreage of land normally planted to rice is improved pastures that will be used in rotation with rice.

Diversion of land use from rice to the production of livestock feed crops is also a possibility. Work at the Louisiana Rice Experiment Station, Crowley, La., has shown that oats, wheat, and grain sorghums can be grown in the area and that rice and its byproducts are an excellent source of feed.

Cottonseed products, molasses, and miscellaneous feeds are available and make possible the formulation of good feed for livestock at a low cost. A potential for a large increase in the use of feed exists because the beef cattle system in the area has largely been the maintenance of cows and marketing of calves at weaning age. Farmers could realize greater profits from their land and cattle by producing feed crops and marketing higher quality animals at heavier weights than under the present system.

THE USE OF COMMERCIAL fertilizers for the major crops in the region has increased greatly since 1945. Farmers tend to use the rates recommended on the basis of experiments in Texas and Louisiana. The major deficiencies are in available phosphorus and nitrogen.

All soils in the region need 40 to 80 pounds of nitrogen and 20 to 40 pounds of phosphoric oxide an acre for rice. An additional 20 pounds of potash is needed for light-textured soils. Maximum efficiency is obtained when the phosphorus and potash are applied during the period from seeding to 30 days after emergence of the rice plants. A part of the total nitrogen requirement can be applied with good results as late as eight weeks after emergence.

DURING THE FIRST YEAR of establishment, improved pastures need a minimum application of 40 pounds of nitrogen, 100 pounds of phosphoric oxide, and 60 pounds of potash an acre.

After the pastures are established, annual applications of 60 pounds of nitrogen, 40 pounds of phosphoric oxide, and 20 pounds of potash should be made.

The reaction of the more acid soils should be adjusted to pH 6.2 by the application of agricultural limestone.

Wheat and oats for winter supplementary pasture and grain production have indicated a need for 80 pounds of nitrogen and 60 pounds of phosphoric oxide. Twenty pounds of potash an acre should be applied in potash-deficient areas. Applications of 40 pounds of nitrogen and 40 pounds of phosphoric oxide have produced maximum yields for grain production when grazing is not practiced.

Lespedeza and alyceclover for hay production have produced high yields with the addition of 20 pounds of nitrogen, 60 pounds of phosphoric oxide, and 20 pounds of potash.

COMPETITIVE BROAD-LEAVED weeds and grasses that thrive in water are one of the limiting factors in rice yields. The lands of the Coastal Prairie that have been planted to rice for a long time are highly infested with seed of plants that will grow in water. In rice growing, the land is submerged to an average depth of 4 to 5 inches when the rice is about 8 inches tall, and submergence is continuous throughout the growing season. Grass and weeds are controlled by submergence with water under ideal weather and soil conditions. Adverse conditions for quick germination of rice seed, rapid emergence, and the growth of plants are frequent, and permit the early growth of grass and broad-leaved plants.

If competitive plants attain a growth equal to the rice plants, they will persist in the water and cause a serious reduction in the yield and quality of the rice.

Broad-leaved plants can be controlled after they emerge by applying herbicides, such as 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T, but grasses are not sensitive to those chemicals. Research with applications of various chemicals before emergence, at emergence, and shortly after emergence has shown good possibilities that grasses can be controlled in rice by herbicides. Complete control of competitive vegetation will permit the rice plants to utilize fertilizers more efficiently and will also increase the yields and quality.