Algae and cyanobacteria with Jens Beets

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Together, the UCCE Farm Advisors seek to provide relevant, topical research-backed information relating to CA rice production.

In this episode, Sarah and Jens Beets, a research ecologist with the USDA's Invasive Species and Pollinator Health unit, discussed the challenges of managing algae and cyanobacteria in California rice production, including the impact of excess nutrients and the potential risks associated with rice cultivation. They also explored various strategies to prevent and control algae growth, including the use of nitrogen and phosphorus, water movement, and herbicides, as well as the challenges of managing aquatic weeds. 

Upcoming Rice Events
Rice Winter Grower Meetings - February 10-13th, 2025 

Algae/Cyanobacteria in Rice Links
Reducing rice field algae and cyanobacteria abundance by altering phosphorus fertilizer applications - from Bruce Linquist's lab

Jens' Suggested Links
USDA website
Working in the Weeds

Other Resources

UC Rice Blog

UC Agronomy - Rice

Rice Briefs (Colusa/Yolo)

Rice Notes (Yuba-Sutter)

Rice Leaf (Butte/Glenn)

Rice in the Delta

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Transcript

Sarah Marsh Janish

Hello and welcome to thoughts on Rice, a podcast hosted by the University of California Cooperative Extension Rice Advisors. I'm one of your host Sarah Marsh Janish, and I'm a rice farm advisor for Colusa and Yolo counties. 

Whitney Brim Deforest

I'm Whitney Brim-Deforest. I'm the Cooperative Extension rice advisor for Sutter Yuba, Placer and Sacramento counties.

Luis Espino

My name is Luisa Espino. I'm the rice farming systems advisor for view and Glenn counties.

Jens Beets 3

I'm Michelle Leinfelder-Miles, I'm a farm advisor in the Delta region. They work on all sorts of field crops, grains and forages, but one of those is rice and the counties that I cover are San Joaquin, Sacramento, Yolo, Solano and Contra Costa counties.

Sarah Marsh Janish

Together, the UCE farm advisors seek to provide relevant topical research backed information relating to California rice production. Today I have the privilege of sitting down with Jens Beets, who's a research ecologist with USDA invasive species and pollinator health unit. The mission of this unit is to develop and transfer integrated biologically based approaches for the management of invasive species. And improvement of pollinator. Health. I've asked Jens to be here today to talk about algae and cyanobacteria management, how it relates to our California rice production and management practices that may help treat this problem. Hi Jens. Thanks for taking the time to be here today. Can you start off by telling me a little bit about your background and your education?

Jens Beets

Yeah. Thanks for having me here today on this dreary day. I guess we're finally getting rain, which is much needed.

Sarah Marsh Janish

Man, you should have been here last week. It just poured and poured.

Jens Beets

Yeah. So about me, well, I've kind of been all over the place. I grew up in Hawaii, and then I went on to do my bachelors up in Washington at a little school in Tacoma just South of Seattle. And as pretty much any kid finishing college, I was freaking out looking for a summer job after graduation and. Luckily, heard about a researcher in Florida who was looking for a summer hire to work on invasive plants, specifically invasive aquatic plants. So all the things and lakes and. Which Florida has plenty of lakes and that very quickly. And this was he was this was Doctor Mike Netherland. He was a Army Corps of Engineers researcher stationed at the University of Florida in Gainesville. And that very quickly transitioned into a masters. I was kind of the curse of of being moderately good at at doing your summer job. And then I during that time I was working on some invasive plants and some native plants and some newer herbicides. And I was really enjoying it. So I started thinking more about going into a PhD and settled on PhD. Program at North Carolina State also working on aquatic invasive plants. And while that definitely had its ups and downs, I enjoyed most. Of it a. Lot of my research was kayaking on rivers, including getting to kayak up in the mountains. You know, even a bad day in the. Field well with a. Few exceptions, most bad days in the field be. A good day in the lab. So it was a nice mix of things. And then I had met my predecessor, Doctor John Madsen. At meetings before. And he kind of announced his retirement. To to this group, this research. Group that I'm in and. Kind of a long shot applied for his job ended up coming out here interviewing, getting the job, and I started with USDA in February.

Sarah Marsh Janish

Great. And so let's talk about that a little bit. What does your role as research ecologist, what does that entail?

Jens Beets

Well. The first part of this year is a little bit different since I was. Having to do a lot of paperwork and onboarding and training.

Sarah Marsh Janish

I'm shocked, shocked I tell you.

Jens Beets

Actually in the Federal government there is a a lot of training that you have to do. Luckily most of it is online now, so it's not requiring to go sit in classrooms and do trainings. For the most part, is really, really helpful, but you know towards the end of this year in the second-half of the year and and going forward kind of a good equivalent would be a researcher at a university. So I, Don't have any teaching. And and technically can't teach. I can do guest lectures, but it's a full research position, so I'm. Leading my lab. Which right now is just me and my technician and I get to write Research proposals carry out that research and direct my technician to do some of the research. Write papers and then present all of that to stakeholders and other scientists, and most of this focuses on aquatic invasive plants, because that's my background and and that was kind of the missing niche in in our unit. The rest of my unit are. Entomologists. So they're finding the insects to kill the invasive plants or one of them's finding insects to kill invasive insect. And then I have one coworker who's a botanist and ecologist as well, and she focuses more on the side of understanding how plants can be so drastically different in different areas, and how the environment may affect that. My focus is a little bit more on the - Figuring out how to kill the plants.

Mostly using herbicides, but trying to find other methodologies as Well.

Sarah Marsh Janish

You mentioned doing presentations to stakeholders, which is kind of how we got on this topic of algae and cyanobacteria. Because for those who aren't familiar, we essentially roped poor Jens in when he was very new on the job to come and do a presentation on algae and cyanobacteria and rice. And so with that, I think we're going to get. Into our topic. And start to talk about cyanobacteria and algae. Which I'll have to admit, until recently I wouldn't have categorized them as separate. So can you talk to me a bit about these two organisms and what makes them different and what they are?

Jens Beets

Yeah. And I'll preface this with I am no expert on on algae or cyanobacteria, but I've listened to to some experts worked with some experts. And luckily, as we'll talk about during this conversation is. There's a lot of overlap between algae and plants and how to get rid of them, so algae are photosynthetic organisms. They mostly live in the water and they're eukaryotes like you and me. And plants and fungi. There are some that aren't just purely photosynthetic, so they're also getting. Their energy through other means, like respiration. But cyanobacteria are kind of, as the name hints at, there are bacteria so closer to the things that make you sick, like E coli or. Some of our other nasty nasty bacteria, because they're bacteria, they don't have organelles like mitochondria. They don't have a membrane bound nucleus. And if you go if you've taken a biology class, you may may remember that they have circular. DNA, as opposed to our kind of Helix DNA. But that's going back into the drags if. You ever took? A a high school or or college biology class.

Sarah Marsh Janish

Yeah, I'm gonna have to dig up that memory. But yeah, that does sound familiar.

Jens Beets

So there's there's some functional differences in. How they grow, like also algae Reproduce not only. From cell division. So when you think about, if you look under a microscope, if you ever seen the video of under a microscope of the cell dividing, that's how a lot of algae do it. But they can also do sexual reproduction. Those spores kind of a good analog would be like a Fern producing spores. Whereas cyanobacteria, it's only cell division.

Sarah Marsh Janish

I should back up a little bit and say we're talking about this because we often see algae or algal mats in rice fields, especially in rice fields that aren't treated with a preventative chemical to help prevent that build up. And so when we're talking about algae in Santa bacteria, what are some of the common categories of? Each that we might see in waterways or in Rice. Fields.

Jens Beets

Honestly, most of what has been described to me and what I've read about, I think most of the problems that calling algae in rice are actually cyanobacteria, and this is this isn't unique to rice. So when you hear about harmful algal blooms like red tide. Or some of the blooms that are especially really bad in San Diego and LA. Those are often also cyanobacteria, so it's. We have like a a mist more because it's easier to say algae than cyanobacteria. You know, it's a lot easier and and the taxonomists really aren’t kind to us in terms of giving things easy names. So I think and from what we know, we thought it was algae at first because they look very similar. Until you get really, really, really fine into the details. So algae range all the way from little single cell organisms all the way up to like big colonies of multi cells. And they have. A few different categories, the most common. Being green algae. Red and brown algae, diatoms and dinoflagellates. So a great example of red algae is norae the algae that you use in sushi wrappers. There's a few other edible ones, but Red algaes are usually your edible brown algae, especially a great example in California is kelp. So kelp is actually a single cell macroalgae macro being like you can see it in micro is when you have to use a microscope. Essentially the other big category is diatoms. So those have silica. They kind of look like glass and can make really beautiful shapes, but they also diatoms are often the ones that create taste and odor issues. And another example of diatoms is like diatomaceous earth. So if you have to put that in sometimes used in potting plants and then dinoflask. Bullets. They're funny looking little little guys that have a flagellum or a little appendage that moves them around. So some of the videos of microscopes, if you see something that's green and has a little tail, it might be that a flagellate and some of the dinoflagellates are the ones that have been most commonly tied to. Toxins or some of the HIV's will harmful algal blooms for cyanobacteria, the most common examples that. That I come across in kind of my field and adjacent fields are nostoc which is what you guys have in rice for the most part. But there's also nonstock that's out by the ocean. So there's the one that kind of looks like a sponge. It's bright green that grows on the smooth rocks like in tide. Rules. That's another version of of nostoc, and sometimes like the stuff that grows kind of slimy on sidewalks, there's some of those that are another species of nostalgic. The other really big problematic 1. Not as much in California yet. That, but in the southeast is Libya, Libya, wooley eye or micro Sara Willye. They don't have an easier name for that one. Yet that's a it's it's being a huge problem in the reservoirs in the Southeast United States. It's even kind of pushed out some of the historical nasty. Plants and reservoirs like hydrilla and milfoil. It's such a bad problem.

Sarah Marsh Janish

Can I ask why has? This Lumia become such an issue, do they have? A cause for that?

Jens Beets

They don't. They are still trying to understand it. So it's interesting because they think that when he has always been here, it's just never been a problem. And there's a lot of different theories. One of the contributors is probably increased sunlight. From, you know, would get better in some ways, we've gotten better at getting rid of things like hydro load. Some of these plants, so there's more light getting there. The other two. Or increased nutrients in the water. So having more food and then you know, more variable temperatures. So the climate is changing. We're getting higher highs, lower lows and that probably is contributing somewhat to that because you have more warm water. Which makes these guys really, really happy. There's been several other theories, like decomposing plants kind of serve as more food.

Jens Beets

But it's it's not something.

Jens Beets

That they understand really well.

Sarah Marsh Janish

So talking about excess nutrients, that's also something that can feed, for lack of a better word, algae and cyanobacteria. What are these excess nutrients and what quantity, I guess, makes them extra.

Jens Beets

Yes.

There's not a easy answer to what quantity, it's just more than usual. So in water systems, really that's more than would be in say in natural water body, so or rice excess nutrients is because you. Have have had to add. Fertilizer, just like any. Crops or in the natural water bodies that I tend to work in, it's run off from agriculture runoff from lawns and gardens run off from any sort of any other human. So we are impacting these areas either on purpose because we're trying to grow crops or accidentally through some of our other actions. So that just kind of creates that excess and depending on what else is growing. So in life, you don't. You're trying not to have Anything else growing.

Sarah Marsh Janish

Ideally, yeah.

Jens Beets

To sometimes there's more nutrients in there than even the rice can absorb, or in the cases of of natural areas, we're talking about more nutrients than the other plants can absorb. So there's free floating nitrogen and phosphorus in the water column, which again. Are the nutrients that we typically have to add for agriculture.

Sarah Marsh Janish

Absolutely. I know we use a ton of nitrogen in various forms in rice field. It's and that's something that is of concern to people that where is this excess nitrogen going? Because the plants can't uptake at all and it doesn't last very long. So it makes sense that some organisms other than the rice are going to be. Able to use it. When we have populations of algae and Santa bacteria in fields or even in waterways, what issues can they cause?

Jens Beets

Yes, I'd say the biggest.

Issue that they're going to cause to rise is inhibiting or hindering your seedling growth, and this can happen through a couple of different ways. It can be as simple as you get one of those scums or films just covering your your seedlings and then they never get to to grow, so it'll block. The sunlight and either make them stunted. You might not have growth at all, or you they're just coated in this this slimy. Algae, the other thing is the LG. It's kind of like a plant. It's creating oxygen. So sometimes what will happen is if that algae is actually in the soil or on the soil surface, it'll create little oxygen bubble. It'll actually be creating oxygen that's going to cause the. Plants to pop up and dislodge.

Sarah Marsh Janish

I realize that. Wow. So they can actually the force of the oxygen bubbles can dislodge the seedlings from the soil.

Jens Beets

That's what I've read and I don't think that's anywhere near. As common as. The the blanketing issue and decreasing light. But it is something that I've found a couple of papers discussing. The other big issue, and this one's kind of again complicated is creating completely oxygen deprived conditions. And again, that's a little less of an issue. The plants but still can be so the the allergies and the cyanobacteria is again like plants, they'll create oxygen. But because they might have so much nutrients, so much light, they're creating, so they're clone or, you know, reproducing at such a high rate, there's going to be some down where there isn't as much light. And that's when they're starting to use respiration and consuming all of the oxygen. So then they can't keep up. And you get this kind of oxygen deprived condition which smells bad and looks bad. If you had anything else trying to. Live. Including like amphibians or something like that. It's going to impact. Those and that kind of goes into the next one, which isn't again as direct of an issue for the rice producers, but it's toxins. So several of these and so far, luckily I haven't seen anything about non-stop and most of the lingua don't. Produce this, but you know, as we if you've heard about home global blooms or red tide, you know that sometimes there are these conditions, so luckily not in rights. But there are issues where some of these. Algae blooms can produce toxins, and sadly at least once a year, you'll hear a story where you know a dog dies or a kid gets really sick. You know my cousin, his dog went swimming and it was in the right. Field but it. Was a pond and before he, like, could stop. Help her, she. Went in the pond, went swimming and they had to take a trip to the vet yard. She's she's OK now. Good. Happy end of the story.

Sarah Marsh Janish

I was afraid I was gonna have to put a warning there or something.

Jens Beets

No.

No, no, she just got sick and. And wasn't happy for about a week, and she pulled through. But you do hear those sad stories about where the the dog doesn't pull through, so if. If a grower is allowing people to hunt in their fields or adjacent to their fields, I mean this could even be the outflow if they're draining after a flood event or a high rain. So it's the surrounding area. You have to think about too, and you don't want to get tangled into. Somebody being, you know, trying to blame. You for that. And then again, the kind of last really big one, but not as big in rice is taste and odour and this is a really big one big problem for drinking water reservoirs of which we definitely have a few here in California and is all over the southeast. So some of these. Like the especially those diatoms can be linked to taste and odor issues, and then they have to spend a lot of money treating the water extra because nobody wants to drink smelling water.

Sarah Marsh Janish

I know I don't. So you mentioned treatment, so how do how do we get rid of algae and cyanobacteria in reservoirs waterways and in rice fields?

Jens Beets

The first one is, is anyone that's ever worked with a invasive or weed is prevention, so it's trying to. Stop it from getting. There and as I touched on when I was talking about Bolivia, alpha is seeing your water because it's a natural part of of a healthy. Ecosystem. So if you're getting water from a drinking water reservoir or pulling it from a river, there's going to be algae there. But again, that that stagnant. High light exposure. Water that you're trying to put a race in is. Also the perfect. Habitat for this. So through what I've read the number one way to try to prevent it is actually incorporating your fertilizer before the last tillage. And actually somebody in my unit and Bruce Lindquist did some of that research where they were trying different ways of preventing the algae. They incorporated it or they suggested waiting. They did some studies. Where they waited as long as possible to actually add the. And wait until it's above. Bryce is above the water surface, so then you don't. Have that algae. How that could potentially affect yield? So that's kind of a give or take. So they're kind of better suggestion was the incorporation. But the other suggestion that I saw they made was if you're doing top dressing of nitrogen later in the year, you could do nitrogen and phosphorus at the same time. So you're not having to go back and do it repeatedly and keep the costs a little bit? Lower but again. And then you have to, there's. There's probably a learning process because you're going to have to figure out how any of this may impact your, your yield or the cost of actually doing that in corporation. So obviously preventing is one of those things that's great in theory, but it doesn't always work. Sadly, one other prevention that I saw that was kind of a long shot that they were suggesting in in art. Was using some sort of water movement so doing multi inlet irrigation or even having some sort of pump in your field for the initial period where you're actually moving the water around to get that agitation and that might help reduce the amount of algae. But again that's a. You're going to have to put a pump in there, so that's not always a cost effective measure.

Sarah Marsh Janish

Yeah. And I'm thinking at least in our fields, a lot of our fields are broadcast by airplanes and there might be a bit of seedling drift if we were to do that, maybe maybe more of a, maybe more of a.

Jens Beets

Yes.

Sarah Marsh Janish

Drilled rice strategy.

Jens Beets

Yeah, yeah, that would definitely have to be in drill, Bryce. And I think that's. Where they were testing that one. The other big prevention is.

This.

Jens Beets

Not using this isn't common here, but not using aquatic vegetation, so like aquatic plants or algae or cyanobacteria as compost, because that's done especially in the in the global S in Southeast Asia and in other parts of the in India. Where they're having fewer of these problems. So. They actually and they. Have much more nitrogen and phosphorus. Poor soil in some areas, so they actually use the algae as compost and that would not be a a smart thing for areas like here where we're having issues with the algae.

Jens Beets

I think the last minor.

Jens Beets

One that I forgot about was trying not to use urea because it's kind of the perfect food for the algae. So kind of circling back into post prevention. Well, in California, the only label legally labeled thing is copper sulfate. And I know there's been a few students trying other things basically. What one of former UC Davis student found was the sooner you apply copper copper sulfate after planting, the better it is. But there is that kind of you do have to tailor that because you definitely also don't want to learn the plant. So I think they found, you know, within 7 to 14 days is kind of the safer range. In terms of actually controlling the algae. There was also a little bit of work looking at using the liquid formulations of copper sulfate rather than the pelleted forms, and they saw a little bit of efficacy increase there. So it worked just a little bit better. And you know when you have a big algae problem, little bit better probably. Just going to help out. You know, going into the kind. If future options that that somebody should be looking into, you know in natural areas, we use a few other herbicides and actually my masters advisor did a little bit of work looking at some of the ALS inhibitors to see if they would work on algae. And he found that anoxia alum and vesperia back both. Of which are registered and run. Base did control some algae species, so that's not a universal thing. And obviously it's not labeled, so you can't go out and do it, but it's something that that could be looked into since they are already registered products that that could. Have some potential use.

Sarah Marsh Janish

I was going to say they've already got the hard work of getting a chemical registered in California. Rice's done with. So that might be a really interesting project to look into, but once again, not currently labeled.

Jens Beets

Yes, yeah. And again making that.

Jens Beets

As clear as possible, but, but if they're. Used. I mean you could start off as simple as if somebody's using those. Look at are you getting as bad allergy if you're using those or the? Sides and again it. Didn't work on all of the allergies and cyanobacteria is just some of them, but in. In natural areas, we also use things like endothelial, dimethylamine, so hydrofoil 191 or Teton. I'm not sure if. Those are the names registered that that other folks would be familiar with. We also have tried things like peroxides and copper, ethylene ethanolamine complexes or chelated coppers, but again, those aren't registered in rice. And then there's some work looking into things like yeast protein activators, you know, those again, are things some of those are registered in California and could be an Ave. to look into. But I'd say there's kind of a tiered list of things that are are worth looking into. And I do think that one of my predecessors, Dr. Dave Spencer, did look at the dimethylamine on Nonstock, specifically in California and it didn't work, so. Then we might be a non starter. He kind of staying on that, that stint. He also did some work looking at barley straw because that one pops up every once in a while and it worked pretty well. And the United Kingdom. But again and then. This one again. Kind of falls into that. It's not registered for use because you're saying it's a treatment, so it should be registered. And people have tried to do it, but in terms of actual use, partly straw isn't a registered thing to to do in in algae management. And what they found out in California is that it really didn't work for for algae control. And I know that I was reading the paper the other day in Arkansas. It was actually students masters fees. Where they tried tried it again in Arkansas, not only with barley but with rice. And again, it just really wasn't working. So, you know, just based on what I've read, I wouldn't go too far into trying it even as kind of a. Last, ditch it. Just doesn't seem like it's doing as much with the algae that in in cyan. Bacteria that we have here in California.

Sarah Marsh Janish

I'm glad you mentioned that we've heard a bit lately from some growers who are interested in seeing the barley straw research come back because they've heard stories. Ohh so and so did it and it worked and things like that. But it's I've read similar I guess papers where they have tried it and. It's not yet. I don't think. I don't want to speak out of turn, but I haven't seen any success rates in United States rice production.

Jens Beets

No, I think.

Jens Beets

I haven't seen anything in the US either. I think it was one of those things that worked really well in the United Kingdom and like a couple of ponds and it may be continuing to work there haven't seen anything yet more recently out of there, but. Unfortunately it just it doesn't seem like it's one that that's going to work well, especially in. Yeah.

Sarah Marsh Janish

Well, and I know this isn't really a fair question to ask. But I'm going to ask it anyway. Do you know of any upcoming research by any member of your team, or any colleagues looking at treating algae and cyanobacteria?

Jens Beets

Uh, not in rice. I know. So the again, some of these problems are similar to some of the ones we're having in natural areas and. Lakes and rivers. And in fact. Was in some conferences recently where people were talking about, you know, the management steps. So I know folks like the Army Corps of Engineers are looking into more of a broad harmful algae LG management. But I don't know. Of anyone specifically doing the the rice ones, I did talk. Send it. I have started trying to send. Out some feelers. To see if they know of anyone. Because when I talked to them. About it, they were like oh. I remember this coming up when I. Was, you know? Where I was and and stuff like that. So it's kind of funny that a lot of our problems with with weeds and with algae and all that are kind of a circle. It's it's if you go back, it's the color this was here. And and then it disappeared and now it came back kind of deal.

Sarah Marsh Janish

Same old story. Well then, as an aquatic weeds, a specialist in aquatic weeds. I'm going to ask you, are there any aquatic issues we should be on the lookout for in California? And this doesn't have to necessarily be right.

Jens Beets

Yep.

Jens Beets

Yeah.

Jens Beets

I'd say.

Jens Beets

One of the ones that I know is grown is algae is the lambia because they're seeing more of it in Southern California and there are a few hits. There's some folks doing GIS and and mapping of. It and there are a few hits in Central California and in the in the, you know, Sacramento, San Joaquin River Delta. And since it's exploded across the Southeast, it's definitely one that you should keep an eye out for. It kind of just looks like a, a floating bubbly matter. LG and it smells really, really, really bad. If you smell something that's really bad and you've. Not smelled it before. And it's there's algae in your water. That's there's there's a chance it's going to be a. But the the other ones. That I think are to be on the lookout for are some that are kind of existing issues like the pond weeds because they reproduce, you know, asexually and sexually. So they can have seeds that will, you know, transfer. And your water sources or stay in your fields. Another one that's kind of a concern is yellow floating heart. It's in 40s peltate A. It's this really pretty float plant that forms these little Lily pad looking leaves and it's a huge problem in Oregon and Washington. Kind of on the radar for the Delta and Northern California. Another one that I actually am working with. Whitney on and a few other folks is the wind water primrose or the widget the currents. So we actually have some planned collaborations because it sounds like that's kind of become.

Jens Beets

Recurring it's you.

Jens Beets

Know how we're talking about things. You're a circle. It sounds like it wasn't a problem. And now it's coming back. And and my bigger concern is a lot of if you look at a map, a lot of these are connected to the delta and if it gets into the delta, then we have another weed and the weed managers and delta are already overworked as is. So I'll actually be doing some work looking at some of the aquatic registered. Decides because we don't have the same access to herbicides. That rice does, and this can even include things like irrigation ditches or irrigation canals. So it's kind. Of right now. It's preventative in terms of it reaching the delta, but it is a it sounds like it's a growing concern even among rice growers. And I guess the the final. That's another plan that's near and dear. To my heart is. Australian real grass or valsen area? It's a growing problem in the delta and. It it is one that I've talked to a few people that they see concern about moving, you know, kind of backwards into irrigation because. It's can spread so aggressively and it's in a lot of popular fishing spots, so and it has moved upwards against the flow of the delta, so. It's it's not just. Staying going downstream so that would be another one to look out for, but I I would say the the top 2 that I would keep my eye out on or any sort of new pond weed and cleaned waterproof rooms.

Sarah Marsh Janish

That is great information. Yet I'm glad you mentioned that about the bigger because. We saw. More of it than we were. Expecting to this season and I think for a lot of us, we were having some trouble because there is another ludwigia that we've been seeing. It's not, it's on this current, but it's a very similar looking plant. It's just got a different number of petals and it's got a. A slimmer stem, I guess. I'd say it doesn't have the wings coming off of the stem. And so for us, I think a big part of our extension work concerning that weed this year was just kind of identifying the differences between them, because the first one's pretty widespread, at least in our waterways. And yeah, it's invasive. It's, it's pretty good at doing what it does, but it's not nearly as big of a problem as this currents is. And that's something, I'll be honest, we're a little bit frightened of.

Jens Beets

I think frightened is the is the right. Not to be doom and gloom. But playing is a good. Mindset because you don't want to be complacent to that, right. I think complacency in in new weeds or old weeds getting bigger. It can be a a problem. So I think being frightened is the. Better mindset to have rather than letting it sit.

Sarah Marsh Janish

Glad to hear that. So now Jens can people contact you or reach out to you to get more information about aquatic lead management?

Jens Beets

Yes, I can. I do have a. It's not optimized yet because that's a slow process, but I do have a website on the USA web page, if you. Pretty much if you. Google my name and and USDA it'll pop up. Or you Google the USDA invasive species and Pinto health research unit. My names on there and my contact info is also on there.

Sarah Marsh Janish

And we'll have a link to that in the show notes for anybody who's interested in that. And just for I know how to spell your name because. I'm looking at you, but. Let's let's spell your name out because it might not be what some people are used to.

Jens Beets

Yeah. Yeah. So it's, it's Jens. And then my last name is like the vegetable, beets. So actually, if you're looking to just e-mail me off the bat, my e-mail is pretty simple. It's my first name, period, my last name at usda.gov.

Sarah Marsh Janish

That's a nice e-mail address. She got lucky. There.

Jens Beets

I know they they keep them. They like to keep them simple in the government, they only try to go to middle initials if they really have to. And you know, I'm happy to answer questions people have, but more, more likely. I'll send try to connect you with the people that are a little bit more expert on this than I am. Although the the weird questions I have, it's the allergy questions that I'll be farming out answers as much as I can.

Sarah Marsh Janish

That's the best way to use our resources, right, is to actually use them. Now with that Jens before we go, is there any upcoming events you'd like to promote?

Jens Beets

Yep. Actually there is. So the one of the societies that I've been in since. I started grad school. All the aquatic Plant Management Society has their regional chapter meeting in Sacramento this year, March 17th of the 19th in Sacramento. It's a smaller meeting, but it it's usually pretty good and they cover all sorts of of issues from across the western United States and every once in a while they'll be. Students from other parts of the country coming to give talks, and it's a it's a nice mix of student talks and managers and and applicators. How? There's a really commonly talking about flowering brush, which is another big problem in the Pacific Northwest. Luckily, I'm not putting that on my list of things to be concerned about in California yet, but hopefully it stays that way. But it's a. It's a fun event and if anyone can can make it I would strongly suggest it.

Sarah Marsh Janish

Any other information, links or resources you want to share with our listeners?

Jens Beets

Yeah. So I'll also give a little plug for another. Podcasts that I really enjoy, it's out of University of Florida, one of the Co hosts is somebody that I worked pretty closely with when I was there. Doctor Jason Farrell, who is the center director out there and now I think he's the Dean of agronomy or some higher up. Position. I can't remember his exact position, but he.

Jens Beets

Knows what he's.

Jens Beets

Talking about, they also are really good at bringing, you know, subject matter experts. I don't think they have an episode on algae specifically, but they do a lot of things about, you know, they did a couple of episodes on talking about silent spring and how that reshi. Eat herbicides and sheet what we do with herbicides today in you know crops and non crop systems and they talk a lot about you know the different lakes and rivers that they have to work on and new weeds that are popping up. So I think.

Jens Beets

It's a great.

Jens Beets

One, and I think they do a really good job of making it interesting. For all audiences, you know don't have to know a lot about these things. They have a couple of. Fun like trivia episodes with grad students. So I'll give that another plug as well.

Sarah Marsh Janish

That sounds awesome. We'll definitely have a link to that in our show notes, and it will also be on our pod roll of Suggested podcast that if you like our podcast, you'll probably like this one. With that, Jens, thank you so much for coming on today. I know the rice isn't necessarily your first area of comfort, but I really appreciate you taking the time to do this.

Jens Beets

Yeah, of course. Thanks for having me. I think we've got some some work planned with your group that that may make me a little bit more comfortable with race in the 1st place. So I'm looking forward to.

Sarah Marsh Janish

Well, then I'm going to keep you in mind because I I like the sound of those kayaking trips, so we'll have to go and see some aquatic weed management.

Jens Beets 3

Yep, there we go.

Sarah Marsh Janish

We have announced the dates for the 2025 Winter rice score meetings and so we're going to continue the same format we've had in previous years having a series of repeating meetings across the rice growing region. So it's OK. In fact it's suggested don't go to all of them, you'll. Be pretty bored. But try to make at least one of them. The same information will be presented at all of them. And so I'm going to read off this list of dates, but please keep in mind these dates are on our blogs, on our websites and our newsletters. So anywhere you need to get more information, go ahead and look for that. Without further ado, here are the dates and area locations for the 2025 rice winter grower meetings. These specific locations are currently TBD, but here's just the general town they'll be in so you can kind of play in your early spring. February 10th in the morning will be the woodland meeting. February 12th in the morning will be the RICHVALE meeting, February 12th in the afternoon will be the Willows meeting. February 13th in the morning will be the Colusa meeting, and finally February 13th in the afternoon will be the Yuba City meeting again. Those specific locations are TBD. They will be in those towns, but we will have more information later on and we will be sure to get that out to all of you as soon as we have that.

Sarah Marsh Janish

To learn more about the UCCE rice program, please feel free to look at our resources, which include the UC rice blog, the UC agronomy Rice website, and our newsletters, which are rice briefs which covers Colusa, Yolo Rice notes, which covers you with Sutter Rice Leaf which covers. Newton Glen. And field notes, which covers rice in the delta region. Thanks for listening to thoughts on Rice, University of California Cooperative Extension Podcast from the University of California Agriculture Natural Resources. You can find out more about this podcast on our website. Thoughts on rice.buzzsprout.com we'd love to hear from. You. Whether it's from using our text link in the show notes, a survey submission, and our feedback form also in the show notes or in a comment or rating on your podcast