Rice harvesting across the world
Rice is one of the most important of all foods. It is the main food of millions of Asians. Rice is also eaten by other people in almost every country in the world.
Rice is a member of the family of cereal grasses, such as wheat, oats, and rye. There are many kinds of rice, but the kind most important for food has the name of “Oryza sativa". It was developed from Asian wild rice. The rice plants, species Oryza Sativa, is from the family “Gramineae” (Grass Family)
People in Asia first sow rice seed in muddy, flooded fields. When the seedling is a month to six weeks old, they are dug up and transplanted in even rows in paddies. Paddies are plowed fields covered with 3 or 4 inches (8 to 10 cm) of Fresh water. The plants are pushed into the mud under the water and continue to grow in the paddies until they are harvested. The flooded fields are drained before the harvest.
Planting and harvesting of rice is done by hand in the Orient because many farmers there cannot afford to buy farm machinery. In other rice-growing areas, such as California, rice is planted by scattering seed from an airplane over a flooded field. The rice crop is harvested by machinery.
Rice farming through Planes
Rice harvesting through Machinery
When ready for harvesting, the white rice grains have a coating of bran and are covered by a brown husk. The brown husk contains vitamins and minerals, but millions of people prefer the white grain, with the husks removed. This is called polished rice. In Asia, people who eat white rice. And almost nothing else, often suffer from beriberi. Beriberi is a disease that makes people unable to move their arms and legs. It comes from a shortage of the B-complex vitamins that are found in unpolished rice. Modern science has taught people that it is better to eat brown rice instead of white rice, because the brown rice contains the necessary B vitamins. As a result, the use of brown rice is increasing.
Rice cultivation through Hands
There are more than 40,000 varieties of cultivated rice (the grass species “Oryza sativa”) said to exist. But the exact figure is uncertain. Over 90,000 samples of cultivated rice and wild species are stored at the International Rice Gene Bank and these are used by researchers all over the world.
The rice varieties can be divided into three basic groups, long grain, short grain and medium grain. Within the groups there are also specialty and aromatic rice's.The plant has many different variations , but is generally a short living plant, with an average life span of 3-7 months, depending on the climate and the variety. It is not a water plant but substantial amounts of water are required for the planting. Cultivated species of rice are considered to be semi-aquatic annuals. The height of the plant can range from 0.4 to over 5m in some floating rice's.
Variety of Rice
Variety of Rice
More than 90 percent of the world’s rice is produced in Asiatic countries. Other main rice-growing countries are the United States, Spain, Brazil, Egypt, and Italy. Rice is the most economically important crop around the world. Rice Harvesting is interesting right? Want to do farming then try to involve and learn how to do rice farming in your native village and enjoy the experience.
Author
Ramya Pogula.
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