Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Successful Rice
Production
12StepsforSuccessfulRiceProduction
Contents
Step1:UseaCropCalendar
Step2:Choosethebestvariety
Step3:Usethebestqualityseed
Step4:Prepareandlevelthefieldswell
Step5:Plantontime
Step6:Weedearly
Step7:Fertilizertomaximizereturns
Step8:Usewaterefficiency
Step9:.Harvestontime
Step10:Storesafely
Step11:Millefficiently
Step12:Understandthemarket
Step1:UseaCropCalendar
Acropcalendarisapictureofyourricegrowingseason:cropproductionfromthefallow,
land preparation, crop establishment and maintenance though to harvest and storage. By
using a crop calendar, farm activities are better planned, done at the right time and it is
easier to organize labor and obtain inputs such as seed and fertilizer. Better planning will
decreaseinputcostsandincreaseyields.
S e e d
i n g T r n
a s p a
l n
t in g
T li
e
l ri n g
In e
t rn o d e
P n
a i lc e
i ti a
n
i ti o n
F o
l w re in g
M a u
t r ty
i
l n
e
o g a it n
o
Depends on v ar e
i ty
Repr oduc ti v e
Rip eni ng
35 day s
30 day s
Howtocreateacropcalendar
1. Determinethebestdatetoplant
2. Determinethetimethevarietytakesfromplantingtoharvest(shortduration100
120,medium120140,long160daysplus)
3. Mostvarietiestake5055daysfrompanicleinitiationtoharvest
4. Markonthecalendarthedateofplantingandwheneachotheroperationneedstobe
done.(plowing,weeding,fertilizing,harvesting)
5. Pinthecalendarinaprominentplacetoremindyouwhenthingsneedtobedone
Usingacroppingcalendarimprovesthe
timelinessandreducescosts
12StepsforSuccessfulRiceProduction
STEP2:Choosethebestvariety
The most suitable variety is the one that best meets the farmer and the consumers
needs. It may not always give the highest yield and will be influenced by availability
water,eitherfromrainorirrigation,soiltype,andfieldelevationandwhethertherice
willbesoldorconsumedathome
Selectavarietythatsuitsyourgrowingconditions.
Varietiesshouldbeselectedthathavegoodyieldpotential,resistancetodisease,good
eating qualities, high milling yield and are suitable for the market. When selecting a
varietycheckonthe:
Cropduration
Long duration varieties (160 days plus) suitable for irrigated areas or flood
proneareas
Mediumdurationvarieties(120140days)suitableforbothrainfedandirrigated
areas
Shorttermvarieties(lessthan120days)suitablefordroughtproneareasorfor
doublecropping.
Cropheight
Highestyieldsdonotalwaysgivethehighestfinancialreturn
12StepsforSuccessfulRiceProduction
STEP3:Usethebestqualityseed
Goodqualityseedreducestherequiredseedingrate,producesstronghealthyseedlings
whichresultsinamoreuniformcropandhigheryields.
Goodseedis
cleannostonesorsoil,weedseed,
pureonlygrainsfromonevariety,
healthyfullbiggrains,samecolor,nocracksor
spotting
Goodqualityseedcanbeeitherboughtascertifiedseedor
producedbythefarmer
Producegoodqualityseed
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Selectalevelfieldwithwellmaintainedbundswhichiseasytoaccess.
Useclean,pure,andhealthyseed.
Doafloattestontheseedbeforeplantingandremoveanyseedsthatfloat.
Usegoodmanagementpracticesbyplantingontime,applyfertilizer,start
weedingbefore21daysafterestablishmentanddonotletweedsgotoseed;
Roguethefieldsbyremovingallriceplantsthatclearlylookdifferentduring
thevegetative,floweringandgrainfillingstages.
Harvestatfullmaturitywhen8085%ofthegrainsarestrawcoloredorat21
22%moisture.
Thresh,anddryquicklyafterharvest.
Storesafelyandlabelcontainersorbagswithvarietynameanddateofharvest.
Plantpure,cleanandhealthyseeds
12StepsforSuccessfulRiceProduction
STEP4:Prepareandlevelthefieldswell
Awellpreparedandleveledfieldgivesauniform,healthycropthatcancompetewithweeds,
useslesswaterandgiveshigheryieldsatalowercost.
Awellpreparedfieldhas:
Many small soil clods to give good seed soil
contactclodsizeandseedsizearesimilar.
Noweeds
Harderlayerat10cmtostopwaterpenetrating
Levelandsmoothsurfaceafterworking.
Wellconstructedbunds
Topreparethefield
When possible plow immediately after the previous harvest especially if the soil is still
moist.
Firstorprimaryplowing.Useadiscormoldboardplowtokillweedsandincorporatetrash,
preferably68weeksbeforeplantingmaximumdepthneeded10cm.
Second plowing. Plow across the field with the disc or tine harrow at least twice to make
smallclodsizes.Secondplowingshouldbe23weeksbeforeplantingandthelastharrowing1
weekbeforeplantingmaximumdepth57.5cm.
Repair bunds. Destroy rat burrows and repair any holes and cracks and recompact the
bunds.Bundsshouldbeatleast0.5mhighand1mwide.
Levelingthefieldwillgivebetterwatercoverage,bettercropestablishmentandbetterweed
control.
Soil Puddling should be done at least 12 days before seeding to allow the water to clear
whendirectseeding.
Levelfieldsgivethebestyields
12StepsforSuccessfulRiceProduction
Step5:Plantontime
Plantingthecropontimewillhelpproduceafastgrowing,
uniformcropthatwillhavehigheryieldsandwillbebetter
ablecompetewithweedsandpests.Thebesttimetoplant
depends on the locality, variety, water availability and the
best harvest time. Rice can be either transplanted from a
nurseryordirectseededinthefield.Transplantedcropswill
normally take less time in the production field but 1015
dayslongerforthetotalcropduration.Inbothcasesawell
preparedseedbedisneeded.
Step6:Weedearly
Weeds compete directly with the rice plants and reduce
riceyield.Each1kgdrymatterofweedsisequivalentto
1kggrainloss.Weedscausemostyieldlosswithinthefirst
2050daysaftercropestablishment.Weedingafterpanicle
initiation may also be important to prevent weeds
sheddingseedsinfuturecrops.
Effectiveweedmanagement
Good land leveling reduces weed growth because most weeds have trouble
germinatingunderwater
Selectvarietieswhichhaveearlyvigor
Usecleanriceseedwhichisfreeofweedseeds.
Applypermanentwaterearlyweedscannotgerminateunderwater.
First weeding begun within 23 weeks after establishment and the second in
another23weeks.Weedbeforefertilizerapplication.
Using herbicides. Identify the weed correctly and use the appropriate
herbicideasrecommendedonthelabel.
Spraywhentheweedsaresmall
Preemergentherbicidesapplyafterplantingpriortoestablishment
Postemergentherbicidesapplyafteremergencebeingcarefulofcropdamage
Alwaysuseprotectiveclothingwhenspraying.
Donotwearraincoatsasthisincreasessweating.
Oneyearsseedingequalssevenyearsweeding
12StepsforSuccessfulRiceProduction
Step7:Fertilizertomaximizereturns
Most soils provide only limited amount of nutrients to the crop, therefore fertilizers
need to be applied to increase grain yield. In some cases fertilizers are also added to
improve the soils physical condition. The amount and type of fertilizer applied are
determined on the assumption that 1 ton of grain will remove 15kg nitrogen, 23kg
phosphateand1520kgofpotash.Thesebaseratesneedtobemodifiedaccordingtothe
soil type, the season, the crop condition and prevailing weather conditions and
efficiencyofapplication.Forefficientfertilizeruse:
Use organic fertilizer (manure, compost, straw, husk, plant leaves) whenever
possibleespeciallyinnurseries.
Apply fertilizer according to soil type and
expected yield. As a guide, for a 2 t/ha yield on
clay loam soil will requires 20kgN, 5kg P. Sandy
soilsmayrequireanother1015kgK.Doublethese
recommendationsfora3t/haexpectedyield
Apply all P and K and 10% N evenly and
incorporate just before seeding or transplanting.
For direct seeded broadcast crops it is okay to apply 1014 days after
establishmentwhenthereiswaterinthefields;
ApplyremainingN(urea)in2equalportionsat30daysand5060days(panicle
initiation)afteremergence
Inestablishedcropsapplychemicalfertilizeronlyinstandingwaterandevenly
acrossthewholefield.
Donotapplyhighratesoffertilizerfortraditionalvarietiesastheymayhave
limitedresponseandlodge.
Do not use chemical fertilizer if you need
Dark green leaves
and fast growth
more than 5 kg paddy to pay for 1 kg
Roots and tillers
fertilizer.
Healthy plants
Inorganic fertilizers must be stored dry
andcool.Theyarenotverypoisonousbut
keepthemoutofchildrensreach.
12StepsforSuccessfulRiceProduction
Step8:Usewaterefficiency
Wateravailabilitylargelydeterminesthepotentialcropyield.Foracroptocontinueto
growrequiresthatwatersupplywillneedtobesimilaroralittleaboveevaporation.In
anefficientsystem,each1kgofgrainproducedwillrequireaminimumof2000liters
or2mofwater.
Good water control increases crop yields and grain quality as well as improving the
efficiency of other inputs such as fertilizer, weeds, herbicide, and pesticides. To
maximizewateruseefficiency:
Maintainthebunds
Levelthefields
Puddlethefieldswherepossible
Usedirectseedingtechniques
Useshortdurationcrops
Harvestontime
Waterquality
Goodqualitywaterisnecessarytomaximizecropgrowth.Thericeplantissusceptible
to salinity especially at the seedling stage and during the panicle development stage
frompanicleinitiationtobooting.Symptomsofsalinityincludefiringofleavesand
reduceddrymatterproduction.Theeffectsofhighsalinityduringpanicledevelopment
arelessobviousasthereislittleleafeffectbutfloretsandgrainnumbersperpanicleare
reducedwhichgreatlyreducesyield.
Factor
Units
Noproblem
Slightmoderate problem
Severeproblems
pH
nounits
6..58.5
<6.5;>8.5
<6.5;>8.5
SalinityEcw(water)
dS/m=mmol/cm
<2.0
2.02.6
>2.6
SalinityEce(soil)
dS/m
<3.0
3.03.8
>3.8
TDS
mg/l
<450
4502,000
>2,000
Specificiontoxicity
SodiumSAR
nounits
<3
>9
Chloride
me/l
<4
10
>10
Boron
mg/l
<0.7
0.73.0
>3.0
BicarbonateHCO32
me/l
<4
>4
>4
Cropscannotgrowwithoutgoodqualitywater
12StepsforSuccessfulRiceProduction
STEP9.Harvestontime
Harvesting the crop on time is very important to maximize yields and grain quality. Crops
harvestedtoearlywillhavemanyunfilledandimmaturegrainswhichwillbreakeasilywhen
milled and not germinate if used for seed. If crops are harvested late, heavy losses will occur
throughshatteringandbirdattacks.Qualitywillalsodecreaseduetograinweatheringwhich
alsoresultsinmorebreakagesanddowngradingthroughpoorgraincolor.
Cropsshouldbeharvestedwhen:
Aftercuttingmaximizegrainqualityby:
Ensurethepaniclesdonottouchthegroundorlayinwater.
Minimizingthetimethecutpaniclesremaininlargebundlesinthefieldthreshwithin
24hrs.ofcutting.
Drythegrainsassoonaspossibleafterthreshing.
When sun drying turn or stir the grains at least once
everyhourtoachieveuniformdrying.
Sundryontarpaulinsorcleandryingpads
Keepthethicknessofthegrainlayerat35cm,
Onhotdayscoverthegrainduringmiddaytoprevent
overheating,andcoverthegrainimmediatelyifitstarts
raining.
Cleanthegrainbyrepeatedwinnowingafterdrying.
Storethericeinacool,dry,andcleanareaforseedpreferablyinasealedcontainers.
Protectyourharvestthreshanddryquicklyaftercutting
12StepsforSuccessfulRiceProduction
STEP10:StoreSafely
Rice is best stored as paddy because the husk provides some protection against insects and
helpspreventgrainqualitydeterioration.Asafestoragesystemwillpreventthegraingetting
wetafterdryingandalsogiveprotectionfrominsects,rodentsandbirds.
Ricecanbestoredforlongerperiodsif:
Moistureismaintainedatlessthan14%forgrainand12%forseed.
Grainisprotectedfrominsects,rodentsandbirds
Grainisprotectedfromrewettingbyrainorfromthesurroundingair.
A rule of thumb for seed is that the life of the seed will be halved for every 1% increase in
moisturecontentora5oCincreaseinstoragetemperatureaboverecommendedlevels.
RiceStoragesystems
Bagstoragesystem
Bagsshouldnotbestackedhigherthan4m.
Bags should be stacked under a roof, in a shed or
underwaterprooftarpaulins
A one meter gap should be left between and around
stacks
Bagsshouldbestackedonpalletsoraboveground
Bagsshouldbestackedsothatfumigationcanbeundertakenifnecessary.
Bulkstorage
Grain can be stored in bulk in containers made from wood,
metal or concrete, located under or inside the house. While
these storages vary in size they all need to be protected from
insects,rodents,birdsattackaswellasmoistureuptake
HermeticSealedstorage
Sealedorhermeticstoragesystemsareaveryeffectivemeansof
controllinggrainmoisturecontentandinsectactivityforseedor
grainstoredintropicalregions.Sealedstoragecontainerscome
inallshapesandsizes.Theymayrangefroma50kgsuperbag,a
small25lplasticcontainers,200litreoildrumtothemorecostly
sealedlargeplasticcommercialstorageunitsfrom1300tons.
12StepsforSuccessfulRiceProduction
STEP11:MillEfficiently
Millingricepaddyremovesthehuskandbranlayertoproducewhiterice.Riceisbestmilledat
1314%moistureandthebestresultsareattainedwhentheprocessiscompletedinanumberof
stageandgraintemperaturesdonotexceed45Cduringtheprocess.Anefficientmillwill
removethehusk(20%),thebranormeal(810%)andleave70%aswhiterice.Ricegrownin
irrigatedsystemsshouldattain60%whitericeasheadrice(unbrokenwhitekernels)andrain
fedsystems4050%asheadrice.Thereareanumberofdifferenttypesofricemillsand
processingbeingused.Theseinclude:
1.
Handpoundingusingamortarwithapestleresultsinveryhighnumberofbroken
riceandleavesbrownrice(meallayerstillattached).Cleaningofthehuskisdoneby
winnowing
2.
Aonestepmillingprocesswherethehuskandthebranareremovedinonepass
andwhitericeisproduceddirectlyfromthepaddy.Thesinglepassricemillisan
adaptationoftheEnglebergcoffeehuller.Thisprocessresultsinmanybrokenkernels,
lowwhitericerecoveryof5055%andheadriceyieldslessthan30%.Thefinebrokens
areoftenmixedinwiththebranandthegroundricehusk.
3.
Atwostepprocesswherethehuskandthebranare
removedseparately.Thesemillsareoftencalledcompactrice
millsandinmanycountrieshavesupersededtheEngleberg
mill.Thetwostagemillhasseparatehullingandthepolishing
processes.Rubberrollersremovethehuskandthebrownriceis
thenpolishedwithasteelfrictionwhitener.Thesemillshavea
capacityof0.5to1tonperhourpaddyinputandareoftenused
forcustommillingintheruralareas.Themillingperformance
ofthecompactricemillissuperiortothesinglepasshuller
withmillingrecoveriesnormallyabove60%.
4.
Amultistageprocesswherericepassesthroughanumberofdifferentoperations
andmachinesfrompaddytowhiterice.Themillingprocessinlargercommercialmills
combinesanumberofoperationsthatproduceshigherqualityandhigheryieldsof
whitericefrompaddyrice.Theprocessinvolves:
Precleaningthepaddypriortomilling
Removingthehuskorouterlayerfromthepaddy
Polishingorwhitingthebrownricetoremovethebranlayer
Separatingthebrokengrainsfromthewholekernels
Baggingthemilledrice
Managingthebyproducts
Poorgrainqualityintothemillmeanspoorqualityriceout
12StepsforSuccessfulRiceProduction
STEP12:Understandthemarket
The value of milled rice in the market is determined by a
number of physical and chemical characteristics which is
determined by the consumer and will vary within and
betweencountries.
Physicalcharacteristics
Milling degree or color. The degree of milling or amount of
the brown rice removed affects the color of white rice and
often the price. Under milled rice absorbs water poorly and
doesnotcookwellandisnormallycheaper.
Headricepercentageor%brokens.Headrice(wholekernels)alsoincludesbrokenkernels
that are 7580% of the whole kernel. High head rice yield is one of the most important
criteria for measuring milled rice quality. High quality rice normally has less than 5%
brokens.
Whiteness or translucency. This characteristic is a combination of varietal physical
characteristics and the degree of milling. During milling, the whitening and polishing
greatlyaffectthewhitenessofthegrainanditstransparency
Chalkiness. Grain appearance is affected by the amount of chalkiness or white belly.
Chalkiness is caused by interruption of final filling of the grain. Though chalkiness
disappearsuponcookingandhasnodirecteffectoncookingandeatingqualities,excessive
chalkinessoftendowngradesthequalityandreducesmillingrecovery.
Chemicalcharacteristics
Gelatinization temperature or cooking time. Environmental conditions, such as
temperature during ripening, influence gelatinization temperature. There is normally a
preferenceforricewithintermediategelatinizationtemperature.
Amylosecontentorstickiness.Theamylosecontentofriceusuallyrangesfrom15to35%.
High amylose ricehas high volume expansion and grains cook dry, are less tender and
becomeharduponcooling.Lowamylosericecooksmoistandsticky.Intermediateamylose
rice(2124%)ispreferredinmostricegrowingareasoftheworld.
Gel consistency measures the tendency of the cooked rice to harden on cooling. Varieties
withasoftergelconsistencyarepreferredifconsumedaftercooling,andthecookedricehas
ahigherdegreeoftenderness.
Eatingqualityisdeterminedbytheconsumer
12StepsforSuccessfulRiceProduction