Rice

Leading States 1. Arkansas 2. California 3. Louisiana 4. Texas 5. Mississippi 6. Missouri

Botany Height = up to 6 feet Inflorescence is a loose terminal panicle Panicle consisting of 1 flowered spikelet Flower is self pollinating Each flower will produce 100-150 seeds Seeds are in hulls Kernels vary in length 3.5 – 8 mm Kernels may be hard, semihard, or soft textured.

Commercial Classes Are determined by length Types Short 5.5 mm Medium 6.6 mm Long 7-8 mm Types Japonica; short, stiff, & lodging-resistant stalks. Indica; taller weaker stems that lodge under heavy fert.

Commercial Classes Maturity Early = 120 – 129 days Mid season = 130 – 139 days Late = 140 or more days

Cultural Practices Conventional Tillage Water Culture Disc Planed Laser – 2/10th grade Levee Water Culture Field is graded to 0 slope or .01-.02 slope Rolled to create surface texture to prevent seed drift

Cultural Practices No-Till & Minimum Tillage Corrugated Tillage The producer must drill in the crop. Corrugated Tillage The 2nd. Disking runs the same direction as the irrigation flow. Internal levees are not constructed.

Seeding Broadcasters Drills = plant 1-2” deep Airplanes **Flood to kill weeds** Flood 4-6 inches Soak seeds and then dry Air = 99-130 lbs/ac, In CA up to 164 lbs/ac

Fertilization N, 30-100 lbs./ac The bulk of the fertilizer is done 30-70 days after seeding.

Growth and Development Rice is a warm season crop, 700F or higher It does not do well in high humidity, due to disease. It likes heavy soils It likes pH ranges between 4.5 & 7.5

Weed management Flooding Crop rotation Herbicides such as Bolero, Ordram, & Londax.

Diseases Seedling blight Brown leaf spot Narrow brown leaf spot Blast Stem rot

Insects Rice stink bug Rice stalk bore Sugarcane bore Sugarcane beetle

Harvesting Grain moisture = 23% - 28%

Milling Rough rice Parboiled rice Milled rice Brown rice Head rice Second head rice Brewer’s rice Polished rice

Byproducts of milling Rice hulls Rice bran Rice polish Rice straw Rice flour

Rice Grades USDA grades are 1-6 Grades are determined by; heat damage & paddy kernels, Chalky kernels, Broken kernels, other types, Color, & Minimum milling requirements.

Sub classes Look at table 20-4