RICE AND IT'S SPECIES

Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa (Asian rice) or Oryza glaberrima (African rice). As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially
in Asia and the West Indies. It is the grain with the second-highest worldwide
production, after maize (corn), according to data for 2010. Since a large portion of maize crops are
grown for purposes other than human
consumption, rice is the most important
grain with regard to human nutrition and
caloric intake, providing more than one fifth
of the calories consumed worldwide by the human species. There are many varieties of rice and
culinary preferences tend to vary
regionally.

For example in India, there is a
saying that "grains of rice should be like
two brothers, close but not stuck together" while in the Far East there is a preference for softer,
stickier varieties. Because of its importance
as a staple food, rice has considerable
cultural importance. For example, rice is
first mentioned in the Yajur Veda and then is frequently referred to in Sanskrit texts.Rice is often directly associated with prosperity and fertility,
therefore there is the custom of throwing rice at weddings. Rice is normally grown as an annual plant, although in tropical areas it can survive as a perennial and can produce a ratoon crop for up to 30 years. The rice plant can grow to 1–1.8 m (3.3–5.9 ft) tall, occasionally more
depending on the variety and soil fertility. It
has long, slender leaves 50–100 cm (20–39
in) long and 2–2.5 cm (0.79–0.98 in) broad.
The small wind-pollinated flowers are produced in a branched arching to pendulous in florescence 30–50 cm (12–20 in) long. The edible seed is a grain (caryopsis) 5–12 mm (0.20–0.47 in) long and 2–3 mm (0.079–0.12
in) thick.

Rice cultivation is well-suited to countries
and regions with low labor costs and high
rainfall, as it is labor-intensive to cultivate
and requires ample water. Rice can be
grown practically anywhere, even on a
steep hill or mountain. Although its parent species are native to Asia and certain parts
of Africa, centuries of trade and exportation
have made it common place in many cultures
worldwide. The traditional method for cultivating rice is
flooding the fields while, or after, setting
t he young seedlings. This simple method
requires sound planning and servicing of the
water damming and channeling, but reduces
the growth of less robust weed and pest plants that have no submerged growth
state, and deters vermin. While flooding is not mandatory for the cultivation of rice, all
other methods of irrigation require higher effort in weed and pest control during growth periods and a different approach for
fertilizing the soil.
(The name wild rice is usually used for species of the grass genus Zizania, both wild and domesticated, although the term may
also be used for primitive or uncultivated
varieties of Oryza.)
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