The Complete Rice Production Cycle

Generally, rice plants take about 3 to 6 months to grow from seedlings to reach maturity, mostly varying according to the environmental conditions and undergo 3 distinct growth phases, which are vegetative, reproductive and ripening.
As such, rice varieties across the world are categorized into 2 groups based on their growth duration.

Generally, rice plants take about 3 to 6 months to grow from seedlings to reach maturity, mostly varying according to the environmental conditions and undergo 3 distinct growth phases, which are vegetative, reproductive and ripening.

As such, rice varieties across the world are categorized into 2 groups based on their growth duration. There is a short-duration variety maturing in 100 to 120 days and a longer when taking about 150 days.

Let’s now take a look at how rice is grown:

1. Seed Quality Analysis & Selection

To realize the yield potential, a seed must be grown, harvested and finally processed justly. Also, healthy, good-quality seeds carry the potential of increasing the yield by 20%. Some of the benefits of using good quality seeds are:
– Decreased seeding rates
– Increased crop emergence
– The decreased need for replanting
– Vigorous early growth
– Increased resistance to pests, insects and natural diseases
– Reduced weed growth

A good seed is one which is pure, i.e. coming from single variety, uniform in size, viable and free of pathogens, insects and seed-borne diseases.

2. Land Preparation

It’s mandatory to prepare the land and render it suitable for planting seeds. The soil, before planting, should be in the best physical condition if one expects an optimum plant growth. Essentially, land preparation involves plowing, digging up or harrowing to till and leveling the soil.

3. Crop Establishment

There are two common practices for planting rice seeds. These are:
– Direct seeding: Done either by hand or machine, direct seeding involves broadcasting pre-germinated/dry seeds. Generally, dry seeds are manually planted into the soil in ecosystems that are rain-fed, while pre-germinated seeds are planted in areas with dry soil.

– Transplanting: More popular of the two, transplanting involves the transfer of pre-germinated seeds from seedbed to wet fields. Although it requires less seeds and is a particularly effective method to control weeds, it is labour intensive.

4. Water & Nutrient Management

Since rice is grown in bunded fields which are flooded for up-to 10 days prior to the harvest, it’s fairly easy to determine that rice is extremely sensitive to water shortage. Contributing to this fact is its semi-aquatic ancestry. Keep in mind the following water management tips for maximum rice yields:
– Construct field channels
– Optimum land preparation
– Leveling the soil
– Construct bunds to limit any water loss

It’s also important to keep in mind that rice plant requires different nutrition at different stages. Nutrition management is a chief component of rice production.

5. Crop Health

Globally, farmers annually lose about 35% of their crops to plant diseases and pests. Rodents, insects, viruses, weeds, etc. are arch nemesis of rice plant. It’s important for rice farmers to understand how the crops interact with the pests and avoid such conditions. Certain tips that could help are:
– Land and water management
– Hand weeding
– Herbicides
– Good cleaning of farming equipments
– Pest resistant seed varieties

6. Harvest

Harvesting involves the collection of mature rice plants. AS we’ve discussed above, rice crops generally take 100 to 150 days to mature, depending on their growth duration. To minimize grain damage and for maximum yield, it’s mandatory to involve good harvesting techniques. It can be done either manually or using a combine harvester. Harvesting includes:
– Reaping
– Threshing
– Cleaning
– Hauling
– Field drying
– Stacking
– Packaging

 

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Paddy Drying Process In Rice Mills

At the time of harvest, the moisture content of the rice grains ranges between 18 -25%. Post the harvest, the most critical operation is paddy drying. Drying reduces the moisture content in the grain which is a requisite if it is to be stored. Delaying the drying process or drying it unevenly would result in a qualitative loss.

At the time of harvest, the moisture content of the rice grains ranges between 18 -25%. Post the harvest, the most critical operation is paddy drying. Drying reduces the moisture content in the grain which is a requisite if it is to be stored. Delaying the drying process or drying it unevenly would result in a qualitative loss. Storing moist grains generally leads to grain discoloration or induces mold development. It further escalates the chances of pest attacks, regardless of the storage facility used. Higher moisture content also decreases the germination rate of rice seeds. The moisture should be further reduced if grains are to be stored for a longer duration.

Before starting with the drying process, certain guidelines need to be followed. The grains should be cleaned so as to avoid uneven Drying and Wet spots. Grains should be dried immediately after the harvest. Depending upon the storage duration, a certain level of moisture content should be maintained.
– 18% for a maximum of 2 weeks
– 14% or less if it’s to be stored for a month/if it is to be milled
– 13% or less if it’s to be stored for 8-12 months
– 9% or less for long-term storage

Grains with different moisture content should not be mixed if cracking is to be avoided.

The drying process involves different methods. Each method has its own elementary advantages and disadvantages.

1. Sun Drying: It is still a preferred technique in many parts of the world mainly because of its low cost. This method, however, is labor-intensive and should not be adopted if you plan to mill the grains.

2. Field Drying: This involves cutting rice panicles in the fields and stacking them into racks and piles. This method sometimes causes a massive heat build-up within the stacks and deteriorates the grains rapidly.

3. In-Store Drying: Grains with the moisture content below 18% are dried slowly inside storage bins. These bins are equipped with aeration components and pre-heated air. It controls the humidity level of the air. It is a slow and gentle drying process and takes from days to weeks.

4. Heated Air Drying: This technique involves high temperatures to rapidly dry the grains. It can be stalled whenever the desired moisture content is achieved. It can be further ramified into 3 categories:

a. Batch Dryer: Used by farmers and small rice millers, this is a labor intensive method and leads to uneven drying.

b. Re-Circulating Batch Dryer: This is put to use by commercial rice millers and cooperatives. It requires moderate capital investment.

c. Continuous Flow Dryer: Generally used by large commercial facilities.

 

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