New high-yield, long-grain Clearfield rice variety CLL16 from the University of Arkansas to be released by Horizon Ag in 2021

CLL16, a new high-yielding, long-grain Clearfield® rice variety from the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station rice breeding program, shown here in a Horizon Ag seed expansion field, will be available to farmers from Horizon Ag in 2021. (Photo courtesy of Horizon Ag.)

CLL16, a new high-yield, long-grain Clearfield rice variety developed by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will be available to rice growers from Horizon Ag in 2021.

Karen Moldenhauer, professor and rice breeder for the Division of Agriculture’s Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, said CLL16 has excellent rough rice yields, averaging 205 bushels per acre, slightly better than Diamond, which averages 204 bushels per acre.

CLL16 is resistant to blast in Arkansas growing conditions, Moldenhauer said. It has demonstrated good milling yields, averaging 63 percent whole kernel and 69 percent total milled rice for samples from Arkansas Rice Performance Trials across the state.

CLL16 is a very stable cultivated variety with an early maturity date, averaging 86 days to 50 percent heading, similar to CL172 and Wells and about four days earlier than Roy J, Moldenhauer said. The plant is standard height with a 36-inch canopy, similar to Diamond.

Clearfield rice was developed at Louisiana State University from a breeding line of rice with a naturally occurring genetic mutation that was tolerant to the imidazoline family of herbicides, said Bob Scott, Rice Research and Extension Center director.

Scientists at LSU licensed the original Clearfield lines to American Cyanamid, now BASF, which later shared the breeding material with the Division of Agriculture, Scott said. Horizon Ag is a seed technology company licensed by BASF to market Clearfield rice varieties.

Breeder seed for CLL16 will be maintained at the Rice Research and Extension Center. It will be distributed to growers by Horizon Ag.