Planting new seeds

To add to our experiment on Jersey Island's Rice Field we planted new seeds on the second field. The idea is to capture some of the changes in the soil in the early stages of growth. We will more than likely not have a harvest to these seeds, however with the warmer temperatures we should see faster growing time. During the growth in the nursery we did not run air, water and soil tests. Hopefully with this second field we will get some idea if we are changing the amounts of sulfates and phosphates in the both the water and soil. We will also see if carbon is lowered in the first stages of growth. 

Our only true worry is if the sandpipers will take a fancy to eating the underwater rise seeds. The island is highly populated with the little birds and they love the fields. Cornell Labs say that sandpipers feed on insects, so we'll see. 

Sandpipers are taking advantage of the rice fields and the insects. 

Otherwise the first field is doing fine. The harsh heat, up to 108 degrees on island, caused a little browning on some of the blades of the rice plants, but they are quickly snapping back. 

Today we transplanted some of the later planted rice into field one and place the carbon testers in around a few of the plants. 

The fields are fill with many of these little fish, which should be a natural way to handle any misquitoes that might take up residence in our field. There are also lots of dragonflies mating around the fields this month. 

Animal holes, like this new snake hole, in our rice field levee is one of the leading causes of breaks in Delta levees. The 2005 Jones Tract flood was caused by a small beaver which had drilled a hole all the way across a levee road.