LADDIES AND GENTELMENT!

HOW TO GROW RICE

As a main source of nourishment for over half the world's population, rice is by far one of the
most important commercial food crops. Its annual yield worldwide is approximately 535 million
tons. Fifty countries produce rice, with China and India supporting 50% of total production.
Southeast Asian countries separately support an annual production rate of 9-23 million metric
tons of which they export very little. Collectively, they are termed the Rice Bowl. Over 300
million acres of Asian land is used for growing rice. Rice production is so important to Asian
cultures that oftentimes the word for rice in a particular Asian language also means food itself.
Rice is a member of the grass family (Gramineae). There are more that 10,000 species of grasses
distributed among 600 genera. Grasses occur worldwide in a variety of habitats. They are
dominant species in such ecosystems as prairies and steppes, and they are an important source of
forage for herbivorous animals. Many grass species are also primary agricultural crops for
humans. As well as rice, they include maize, wheat, sorghum, barley, oats, and sugar cane.
Typically, grass species are annual plants or are herbaceous perennials that die back to the
ground at the end of the growing season and then regenerate the next season by shoots
developing from underground root systems. Shoots generally are characterized by swollen nodes
or bases. Leaves are long and narrow, varying in width from 0.28-0.79 in (7-20 mm). Flowers
are small and are called florets. Grasses pollinate by using the wind to widely and
opportunistically disperse grass pollen. The fruits are known as a caryopsis or grain, are one-
seeded, and can contain a large concentration of starch.

The natural habitat of rice is tropical marshes, but it is now cultivated in a wide range
of subtropical and tropical habitats. Unlike other agricultural crop grasses, rice plants thrive
under extremely moist conditions and moderate temperatures. The ideal climate is roughly 75° F
(24° C). Average plant height varies between 1.3-16.4 ft (0.4-5 m). Its growth cycle is between
three to six months (agriculturally, this is broken down into three phases lasting approximately
120 days). Rice plants produce a variety of short- to long-grain rices, as well as aromatic grains.

Because cultivation is so widespread, development of four distinct types of ecosystems has

occurred. They are commonly referred to as irrigated, rainfed lowland, upland, and flood-prone
agroecological zones.

Irrigated ecosystems are the primary type found in East Asia. Irrigated ecosystems provide 75%
of global rice production. Irrigated rice is grown in bunded (embanked), paddy fields. Rainfed
lowland ecosystems only sustain one crop per growing season and fields are flooded as much as
19.7 in (50 cm) during part of the season. Rainfed low-land rice is grown in such areas as East
India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Philippines, and Thailand, and is 25% of total rice area used
worldwide.

Lastly, flood-prone ecosystems are prevalent in South and Southeast Asia, and are characterized
by periods of extreme flooding and drought. Yields are low and variable. Flooding occurs during
the wet season from June to November, and rice varieties are chosen for their level of tolerance
to submersion.
Rice is mostly eaten steamed or boiled, but it can also be dried and ground into a flour. Like
most grains, rice can be used to make beer and liquors. Rice straw is used to make paper and can
also be woven into mats, hats, and other products.

HISTORY
Since it has been such an important grain worldwide, the domestication and cultivation of rice is
one of the most important events in history that has had the greatest impact on the most people.
When and where the domestication of rice took place is not specifically known, but new
archaeological evidence points to an area along the Yangtze River in central China and dates
back as far as 11,000 years. Researched by a team of Japanese and Chinese archaeologists and
presented at the 1996 International Symposium on Agriculture and Civilizations in Nara,
Japan,radiocarbon testing of 125 samples of rice grains and husks, as well as of rice impressions
in pottery, from sites located along a specific portion of the Yangtze unanimously indicate a
median age of over 11,000 years. Another discovery of possibly the oldest settlement found in
China, which is located closely upstream from the other sites, gives credence to the new findings.
In any event, it wasn't until the development of puddling and transplanting of the rice plant that
the spread of rice as an agricultural crop really began. Practiced in the wetlands of China, the
concept of the rice paddy was adopted by Southeast Asia in roughly
2000 B.C. Wetland cultivation techniques migrated to Indonesia around 1500 B.C. and then to
Japan by 100 B.C. To the West, rice was also an early important crop in India and Sri Lanka,
dating as far back as 2500 B.C. and 1000 B.C. respectively.
The spread to Europe, Africa, and America occurred more slowly, first with the Moor's invasion
of Spain in 700 A.D. and then later to the New World during the age of exploration and
colonialism. Rice has been grown in the United States since the seventeenth century in such
areas as the southeastern and southern states, as well as California.

PREPARATION

Prior to planting, minimal soil manipulation is needed to prepare for cultivation. If the rice will
be grown on a hilly terrain, the area must be leveled into terraces. Paddies are leveled and
surrounded by dikes or levees with the aide of earth-moving equipment. Then, the fields are
plowed before planting.

Adequate irrigation of the terrace or river delta bed is required and accomplished by leveling and
by controlling water with pumps, reservoirs, ditches, and streams.

PLANTING
 Rice seeds are soaked prior to planting.
 Depending on the level of mechanization and the size of the planting, seeding occurs in
three ways. In many Asian countries that haven't mechanized their farming practices,
 seeds are sown by hand. After 30-50 days of growth, the seedlings are transplanted in
bunches from nursery beds to flooded paddies. Seeds can also be sown using a machine
called a drill that places the seed in the ground.

HARVESTING

Once the plants have reached full growth (approximately three months after planting) and the
grains begin to ripen—the tops begin to droop and the stem yellows—the water is drained
from the fields. As the fields dry, the grains ripen further and harvesting is commenced.

Depending on the size of the operation and the amount of mechanization, rice is either
harvested by hand or machine. By hand, rice stalks are cut by sharp knives or sickles. This
practice still occurs in many Asian countries. Rice can also be harvested by a mechanized
hand harvester or by a tractor/horse-drawn machine that cuts and stacks the rice stalks

DRYING

Before milling, rice grains must be dried in order to decrease the moisture content to between
18-22%. This is done with artificially heated air or, more often, with the help of naturally
occurring sunshine. Rice grains are left on racks in fields to dry out naturally. Once dried, the
rice grain, now called rough rice, is ready for processing.

HULLING

Hulling can be done by hand by rolling or grinding the rough rice between stones. However,
more often it is processed at a mill with the help of automated processes. The rough rice is first
cleaned by passing through a number of sieves that sift out the debris. Blown air removes top
matter.

MILLING
Since it retains the outer bran layers of the rice grain, brown rice needs no other processing.
However along with added vitamins and minerals, the bran layers also contain oil that makes
brown rice spoil faster than milled white rice. That is one of the reasons why brown rice is milled
further to create a more visually appealing white rice.

Enriching
The milling process that produces white rice also removes much of the vitamins and minerals
found primarily in the outer bran layers. Further processing is often done in order to restore the
nutrients to the grain.