Boosting Rice Yield: A Smarter Way to Plan Trials in the Southern US

Rice farmers in the Southern US are always looking for ways to get more out of their fields. One big challenge is figuring out the best places to test new types of rice. This is called multi-environment trials (MET), and it can be pricey and tricky to plan. Scientists have been working on this problem by using smart climate and soil predictions to guide their decisions. They've gathered data from 10 years of weather and soil information in the US rice belt and used it to predict how rice will respond. They then selected the most important environmental factors and used these to guide trial locations.The result? They found that by being smart about where they run trials, they can cut down on the number of locations by 28% without losing much accuracy. This could save a lot of money and still help farmers find the best rice varieties. The US rice belt has four main clusters, each with different economic importance. By understanding these clusters, farmers can make even better choices about where to test new rice types.