Rice Production in California

Several reasons contributed to the low success of early trials, including varieties that were not adapted to the soils, climatic conditions and photoperiod of the region. Most of the trials were carried out in the Delta, where the night temperatures were too low for the varieties used. In additions, the Delta soils were very fertile, while the varieties tested were bred to produce an adequate yield on poor soils. Furthermore, careful water management was difficult with the irrigation and drainage systems available at that time .