| Waste rice in harvested fields and seeds in moist-soil wetlands are important foods for waterfowl in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV). I conducted experiments in 19 rice fields in Arkansas and Mississippi during autumns 2003 and 2004 to evaluate the ability of post-harvest practices to conserve waste rice. Standing stubble contained the greatest abundance of waste rice ( x¯ = 105 kg/ha; CL = 72.84, 150.16 kg/ha) followed by burned (x¯ = 72 kg/ha; 49.57, 105.81 kg/ha), mowed ( x¯ = 67 kg/ha; 46.65, 97.42 kg/ha), rolled (x¯ = 51 kg/ha; 35.54, 73.076 kg/ha), and disked stubble (x¯ = 48 kg/ha; 33.26, 68.41 kg/ha). I recommend leaving stubble or burning fields to create interspersion of stubble and water after flooding. I estimated abundance of moist-soil seed throughout the MAV for 2002-2004. Mean seed abundance was 496 kg/ha (SE = 62). I recommend active management of moist-soil wetlands to mitigate decreased waste-rice abundance. |
