A new pest “mite” spell doom for Louisiana’s rice harvest. The panicle rice mite has been found in rice research facilities in Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana. The mite was found in a greenhouse and surrounding fields of the LSU Agriculture Center’s Rice Research Station in Crowley, La. It has been documented in Asia, and it is prevalent in the Caribbean and Central America, said Dr. Natalie Hummel, AgCenter entomologist. An original sample was collected in Louisiana in 1960, but has not been seen in Louisiana since. Louisiana is third in the nation in rice production, according to Michael Salassi, agricultural economics and agribusiness professor. On average, the state harvests 500,00 acres of rice a year, and the 2007 season saw 22.7 million hundred pounds of rice produced. Hummel said scientists do not know enough about the mite’s biology to speculate how it came to North America. “It could have come by land, water, hurricane or even people walking in the fields,” she said. Dr. David Boethel, AgCenter vice chancellor of research, said the United States Department of Agriculture and the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry are working to identify the mite in various areas throughout the state. “We’re trying to figure out where exactly it’s located,” Boethel said. “If it becomes a persistent problem, the issue is how to manage it.” Boethel said the mite has caused immense damage by eating through rice grains in other countries, but it is too early to determine the effect it could have on future Louisiana rice harvests. Hummel said infected fields will be quarantined. People will be limited to be in them, equipment will be sanitized and the fields will not be harvested. Bob Odom, Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry, said precautions must be taken to ensure the mite does not spread throughout the state and other parts of the country. “We want to make sure every rice-producing state is checking their rice,” Odom said. Salassi said rice has several insect and disease pests that reduce production. Another pest added to these would increase costs to control it. “Rice is already an expensive crop to produce,” Salassi said. “Another insect pest would not be a good sign.”
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