Sowing rice is one of the most important plants for humans. He is the second most popular cultivator after wheat. This plant has been cultivated for thousands of years. According to historians, he was domesticated in China 13, 000 years ago.
Morphology
Sowing rice (Oryza Sativa L.) is an annual plant from the family of cereals (Poaceae). Comes from Southeast Asia. This is the second most frequently grown grain crop in the world after wheat, which forms the basis of nutrition for 1/3 of the world population (mainly for residents of the eastern and south-eastern parts of Asia). 95% of the world's rice crop is used for human nutrition. There are many varieties that are adapted to various environmental conditions. This cereal crop has become popular and is grown in areas with a high population density, because it requires laborious procedures - planting, irrigation of fields, and harvesting.
Sowing rice description:
- The stems are numerous, dense with a height of 50-150 cm.
- Flowers - collected in panicles up to 300 mm long, consisting of one-flowered spikelets. The flowers consist of 2 wide floral scales with an awn in the spinous forms, painted in red, yellow or brown, 2 periflower films - lodules, single-seeded ovary and 6 stamens.
- Leaves - up to 100 cm long and 15 mm wide. They are linear-lanceolate, long-pointed, up to 50 cm - green, purple or reddish. On closer inspection, the indentation of the leaf plate of the rice seed is visible.
- Fruit - contains 30-100 grains. They are 8 × 4 mm in size, edible, rich in starch.
Varieties
There are two subspecies of rice:
- Indian rice (Oryza sativa indica);
- Japanese rice (Oryza sativa japonica).
Types of Rice:
- white rice - the most popular variety, is subjected to the so-called polishing process, because of which grain loses most of its nutrients;
- brown rice - devoid of only inedible husks around a grain rich in nutrients, it is characterized by a special nutty aroma;
- steamed rice - white rice is exposed to steam under high pressure, thanks to which it does not lose vitamins and nutrients;
- black rice (Indian rice) - rich in antioxidants and vitamin E, has a nutty flavor;
- red rice - rich in nutrients and fiber.
Food use
Partially refined grain is called brown rice, contains about 8% protein and a small amount of fat. It is a source of thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, iron, calcium. During cleaning (polishing), the seeds are completely freed from the grown films and acquire a white polished surface. Such rice has a white break, it is odorless, with a powdery, slightly sweet taste. Sometimes rice is enriched by the addition of iron and vitamins from group B.
Fully refined grains, the so-called white rice, are largely devoid of valuable nutrients. Before eating, it is cooked and eaten as a separate dish or used to make soups, main dishes and fillings, especially in eastern and Middle Eastern cuisine. Rice seeds are used to produce flour, cereals, and grain; it is also the raw material in the production of alcohol - rice wine.
Pharmacological properties
For specialists and workers involved in the cultivation and harvesting of medicinal plants, as well as for pharmaceuticals (pharmacognosy), sowing rice is of great importance. After all, his decoction has great nutritional value, is known for its emollient, enveloping and wound healing effect. This cereal is the raw material for starch, which is used as a powder and coating agent. Bran from it is used to treat a disease caused by a lack of vitamin B1 in food (beriberi). Rice oil is the main component of therapeutic ointments. Sowing rice is included in the Global Fund, i.e., in the list of medicinal plants of domestic origin included in the Russian Pharmacopoeia.
Other application
By-products, that is, bran and powder, formed after processing waste in the process of polishing grain, are used as animal feed. Bran oil is used for food and industrial purposes. Crushed grains are used in the preparation of beer, distillate alcohol and the production of starch and rice flour. Straw is used for the manufacture of bedding, animal feed, roofing material and for the production of mats, clothes, packaging and brooms. Rice is also used in paper production, for the manufacture of wicker items, glue and cosmetics (powder). Rice is processed into starch, vinegar or alcohol.
Cultivation
Sowing rice is one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world. In the sixties of the twentieth century, during the so-called green revolution, when the efforts of scientists were aimed at preventing hunger, many new, improved varieties of cultivated plants, including rice, were released. The new variety was characterized by high resistance to disease, increased productivity and the formation of short strong stems, due to which the plants were less fragile. However, its cultivation did not develop on such a large scale as expected. Due to high soil requirements and the need for intensive fertilization, it became available for cultivation only to wealthier farmers.
Growing requirements
Due to the high requirements for providing the right amount of water, sowing rice is grown in floodplains, river deltas, mainly in the tropical climate zone. Depending on the variety of rice, it is immersed in water by 5-15 cm.
Wet rice varieties require a high temperature of cultivation - about 30 ° C until April and during ripening to 20 ° C. Dry rice does not need a flooded substrate to grow, but it must be a humid climate. Only 18 ° C is required during the ripening period.
Depending on the variety of rice, the growing season lasts from 3 to 9 months, so that the crop can be produced several times a year. It can be grown on different soils, but it is best done on clay soils, because the culture then does not absorb large amounts of water and does not lose nutrients.
