Rice is a tropical plant from the cereal family. For many nations, it is almost the second bread. In terms of cultivation time and valuable qualities, it is rightfully considered the most popular cereal in the whole world. There are many varieties of this culture and how to cultivate it. This article will provide information on in which countries rice is most grown and on its beneficial properties.
Origin
Since man began to grow rice, several millennia have passed. This is confirmed by archaeological excavations, proving the fact that people used to eat this cereal even at the dawn of human history. Pottery with imprints of traces of rice was found, and ancient manuscripts of Chinese and Indians in which he was deified. It was used as ritual offerings to ancestors and pagan gods.
There are many interesting and adventure stories related to rice cultivation. The origin of culture is due to ancient Asia. Now this territory is occupied by countries such as Vietnam and Thailand. Over time, the cereal spread to other continents: it easily adapted to the local climatic conditions of other countries and became very popular in many cultures of the world. In particular, he found his application in the preparation of national dishes. Given these facts, we can safely say that rice is an integral part of the traditional culture of many peoples. A similar attitude to cereal is observed in Japan, India, China and Indonesia.
Description
A tropical plant is characterized by special biological characteristics associated with the unusual environment of its growth. No cereal forms such vegetative organs as rice has. The description of the culture conveys the uniqueness of its structure, which allows it to grow directly on the water.
The roots are fibrous, superficial, most of which are immersed to a depth of 30 cm. The root system is endowed with an airy tissue called aerenchyma. It is found in leaves and stems. Such a system is necessary for the plant to maintain the necessary oxygen concentration. Being in the water, the plant cannot “breathe”, and thanks to the aerinchem absorbing oxygen from the stems and leaves, the root system is enriched with it. In addition, the soil on the rice plantation becomes well permeable and changes the direction of metabolic processes. The root consists of many processes (up to 300), with a small number of thin hairs. The lower stem nodes sometimes form additional roots involved in the nutrition of cereals.
The stem is a full thin straw. Depending on the variety, its length varies from 0.5 to 2 m. As it narrows from the base to the edge, the length of the internodes increases. Their thickness is about 7 mm. In the process of culture growth, the number of internodes increases to 15-20 intervals.
Leaves are narrow plates of a linear-lanceolate type with a vagina. There are green, purple and reddish colors. The venation is ribbed, length 30 cm, width 2.
Single-flowered spikelets collected in inflorescences, like a panicle. Two wide, ribbed scales comprise a flower (sometimes with an awn) of brown, yellow or red color.
Fruits - film kernel, white at break. It differs in structure by vitreous, mealy and semi-vitreous.
Sowing rice has over 100 varieties in shape, color, and the presence of awns. There are two main subspecies: small and ordinary. The latter is divided into two varieties: Indian and Japanese.
Indian is distinguished by a long, narrow caryopsis and the absence of spikes in flower films. Japanese caryopsis are rounded, wide and thick.
Asia's main culture
Why has rice become the main crop of Asia? In the tropical zone, with a predominant monsoon climate, excessive waterlogging of the soil is considered normal. Due to the fact that most of the territories are covered with water for a long time, it is not possible to grow other crops. The main cluster of rice plantations falls on the Asian mainland. When there were no mechanized methods of cultivating cereals, rice was grown only in areas with natural moisture. Thanks to technological progress, rice plantations are now in many states, and they are irrigated artificially.
The economic value of rice
In which country is rice a food crop? As mentioned above, these are the states of the Asian continent. This includes several countries that are engaged in grain production, whose annual harvest is 445.6 million tons - this is more than 90% of the gross world harvest. After processing rice greens, about 80% of the product goes on sale. Especially a lot of grain is supplied to the world market by China and India.
This is not to say that only in Asian countries is rice distributed as a food product. For a third of the world's population, it is one of the main products. This corresponds to the meaning of its name, which in translation from Old Indian has a very meaningful definition - "the basis of human nutrition." The product comes to the world market from many countries. The main food crop of rice is in Thailand, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Myanmar, Japan, Korea, North Korea, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
Crop cultivation in America. 9.2 million hectares are allocated for plantations in this territory, of which 7.4 million hectares are in the southern part. The main producers here are countries such as Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, USA, Cuba, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. The lowest rice yield in Africa, just over 9 million tons per year. To a greater extent, it is produced in Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Sierra Lyon, Guinea, Tanzania, Zaire and Madagascar.
The nutritional value
Rice is a nutritious product that provides the human body with the necessary substances. Statistics show that in the regions where it grows, per person it accounts for more than 100 kg per year. Residents of these countries receive a significant portion of calories from cereal crops. Unlike other cereals, it is very rich in starch (88%). It contains carbohydrates, fats, fiber, ash, vitamins and protein. The latter contains a large number of amino acids: meteonin, lysine, valine. Thanks to this, the product is easily absorbed by the body.
Rice grains neutralize free radicals in the human body. In the presence of a large number of these harmful elements, a person is at risk of developing cancer, as they affect cell genes. Most often, reactive oxygen particles contribute to premature aging.
Regular consumption of rice cereal has a positive effect on the nervous system and protects the intestines from irritation. It is included in the gluten-free diet, where it is one of the main components. Rice is a dietary product rich in trace elements and a worthy replacement for bread. Therefore, it is used in cases where a person needs to follow a diet for some reason.
Rational use
After grain processing, waste always remains. Scrap and chop are used for the production of beer, alcohol and starch. In rice bran, there are many useful substances, fats and protein. Among them there are phosphorus-containing elements - lecithin and phytin, thanks to which the waste serves as a nutritious feed for livestock. The aboveground part of plants is also used for animals, and paper is made from straw.
Rice peeled and in the form of grain is supplied to the world market . Groats, respectively, are more expensive and are in demand among the population. Glazed rice is found in European and American markets. It is a grain refined and enriched with nutrients. Since during processing, along with the husk, a layer of nutrients is also peeled off, manufacturers considered it expedient to carry out the enrichment process, with the restoration of the missing elements.
Rice is a grain crop with varietal characteristics. The shape of the grain is round or oblong, wide or narrow. The structure of the endosperm can be vitreous, mealy and semi-vitreous. Vitreous is more rational in technological processing. In the process of separating grain from the shells, the yield of whole cereals is greater, since it is less subjected to crushing.
Basically, cereals are used to prepare a variety of dishes and desserts. From it, flour is obtained, which is used for the production of baby food and confectionery.
Types of grain
As a food crop, rice undergoes various technological processing, on which its nutritional value, taste and color depend. Grain of one variety, processed in different ways, is divided into three main types.
- Brown. Rice, which undergoes minimal processing processes aimed at preserving useful qualities, is called brown. In Asia, it serves as the main food for the elderly and children. Meanwhile, in America and Europe, it is a valuable product for healthy nutritionists. After processing, it also remains a storehouse of valuable elements and vitamins for the body, since it retains the bran shell. It is her who accounts for a large dose of nutrients. The only negative is a short shelf life.
- Polished. The standard type of processing is grinding. This is white rice, long known and entering the market in large quantities. It goes through several stages of grinding, after which its grains become even, smooth, snow-white and have a translucent endosperm. Due to the content of a large number of tiny air bubbles, occasionally grains can remain dull. By the presence of nutrients, white grain is inferior to steamed and brown. Its advantages include excellent taste and aesthetic appearance.
- Steamed. Steamed grain, often found on supermarket shelves, is also very popular. The technology using steam allows you to save minerals and vitamins inside the grain. Rice that has not undergone a caving process is immersed in water and processed under high pressure with steam. Then it goes through a number of technological stages without loss of useful properties. This is due to the fact that under the influence of steam, valuable substances contained in the surface layer penetrate deep into the grains. Cooking steamed cereals takes longer, as it is stronger and harder.
In some African countries, several types of wild rice are also eaten, in particular, short-tongued and spotted.
Cultivation
Rice is a grain crop that requires special growing conditions. The main factors for its development are heat and the presence of an aqueous layer. An important condition for him is the optimal amount of sunlight. It has a direct effect on the productivity of a tropical plant. There is one caveat - with too high air temperature, intensive vegetative growth occurs, which negatively affects the overall development and reduces grain yield.
Rice is better cultivated on clayy, dusty soils, since water is well retained in them. In the natural environment on sandy soil, rice productivity is very low. However, if such soil is enriched with fertilizers, the yield of grain will increase significantly.
In mountainous areas, special terraces are created with fences for water retention. On flat surfaces, the soil is leveled for uniform irrigation and good drainage. As in mountainous areas, the plots are separated by shafts. A canal system is being preliminarily prepared, with the help of which a strait of plantations is carried out. Throughout the entire period of culture development, the fields are kept flooded, periodically changing the water level, depending on the growth of plants.
In Asia, before planting in a strait field, grains germinate in ridges, and then, by a nesting method, 4-5 sprouts are transplanted into water. In Western countries, rice is sown with grains manually, and in developed countries, grain sowing is carried out by a mechanized method.
Types of Rice Farm
Rice farming is divided into 3 types: estuary, dry land and torrential. Since the tropical plant was included in the number of crops, rice, to a greater extent, is cultivated in the torrential fields. Other methods are considered obsolete and are used for growing cereals on a small scale:
- Torrential way. This is the type of cultivation described above. Torrential checks are kept constantly flooded, and after harvesting, water is drained. Up to 90% of grain grown by this method enters the world market.
- Estuary plantations. This is the oldest method that I use in southeast Asian countries. Rice is cultivated during floods and sown in river bays. Such rice farming is ineffective.
- Dryland type. It is practiced in areas with naturally high soil moisture. On dry plantations, rice is planted only by sowing seeds. The advantage of such rice growing is that the plants are not exposed to diseases and the grain has the highest taste. This type of rice farming is also easy to cultivate. In Japan, after the development of irrigation, dry land fields were transformed into torrential ones. Difficulties in growing can arise due to the sensitivity of plants to drought, the need to remove weed grass and soil depletion.
Conclusion
Obviously, rice is the main food crop in many countries. Despite the limitations in the method of its cultivation, it is consumed everywhere. It is unlikely that there is a corner on earth where rice dishes would be unknown. Worldwide, this valuable product is being shipped and is now available to everyone.