Rice: homeland, family and country of origin, is it a cereal or not, how is it grown

Rice is a valuable grain crop. In terms of production, it is second only to wheat and is considered a staple food for most of the population. At the same time, many people are interested in the homeland of rice, family and country of origin, whether it is a cereal or not. Despite the fact that this crop is considered tropical, it also produces crops in temperate regions. At the same time, most rice is grown in India and China.

History of Rice

People have been growing rice for thousands of years. This is confirmed by archaeological excavations.According to historians, people have been using this product since the dawn of mankind. So, they managed to find pottery with imprints of traces of this culture. In the ancient manuscripts of the Indians and Chinese, rice was completely deified. It was used as ritual offerings to pagan deities and ancestors.

There are many interesting stories about rice cultivation. This culture comes from ancient Asia. Today, this territory is located in Thailand and Vietnam. After some time, the cereal appeared on other continents. It easily adapted to the local climate of other countries and became quite popular in many world cultures. In particular, a variety of national dishes are prepared from rice. Particularly reverent attitude towards cereals is observed in Japan, Indonesia, China, India.

Botanical description

Rice is an agricultural plant that is cultivated today in many countries around the world. This is a very nutritious product. In addition, this culture does not require special growing conditions.In Russia, the modern name of the cereal appeared only in the seventies of the nineteenth century. It comes from the English word "rice" . Prior to this, the groats were called "Saracen wheat" or "Sorochinsky millet" .

Family

Rice is a cereal plant. It grows well in the tropics and subtropics and is cultivated as an annual crop. Also, this cereal is grown in warm areas of the temperate zone. The largest number of rice plantations is concentrated in Asia, Africa, America and Australia.

What kind of culture

Rice is a food product that is produced from seeds. If we consider it as an agricultural crop, the maximum yield parameters are achieved in warm and hot climates. In Africa, it is customary to grow naked or African rice. Wild varieties are also used there - short-tongued and dotted.

Expert opinionZarechny Maxim ValerievichAgronomist with 12 years of experience. Our best gardening expert.Ask a QuestionIn cereals, which are produced from this crop, there are a lot of carbohydrates - about 70%. However, it contains relatively few proteins. The share of these components does not exceed 12%. The ash contains a lot of phosphoric acid. Therefore, the plant is used not only for food production, but also in the woodworking industry.

Root system

Rice is characterized by a fibrous root system, which reaches a depth of 20-30 centimeters. Unlike other crops, rice has aerenchyma. This term refers to the fabric with cavities for conducting air.

When the field is flooded, the roots are not able to extract oxygen from the soil. Air enters through the stomata of the foliage into the stems, and from there into the aerenchyma of the root system. Thanks to this, not only the root itself is provided with oxygen, but also the soil around the crop.

The structure of the root system includes the following elements:

main root - its formation occurs in the grain;
adventitious roots - appear during the growth of culture.

The root, which is in the grain, makes a gap between the flower flakes and breaks out. On top of the main root, elements of the second order and adventitious sprouts are formed. They provide the crop with water and nutrients.

One bush has about 200 roots. The most active period of their formation falls on the phase of heading and entering the tube. During the period of rapid development, the life of root hairs does not exceed 3-5 days.

Appearance of the spike

Rice is distinguished by green or yellow spikelets, which are fixed on the legs and are close to each other.In length, they reach 2-15 millimeters and visually resemble unripe wheat. The place of attachment of the spikelet to the stem is called the spikelet joint. Its structure affects the crumbling of the crop.

How rice is made

Rice is grown in the fields, after which it is used to produce cereals. Also, recently, an artificial product has begun to appear on store shelves, which is somewhat different from the natural one.

Natural

This product is obtained by growing in very wet soil. The seeds are used for food, and the grassy part is fed to livestock or used as bedding for animals. The average yield of rice is 6 tons per 1 hectare. In Asia, the crop is harvested 3-4 times a year.

During the development of the crop, it is important to ensure that the air temperature and humidity parameters are not too low. With a sharp cold snap, it is necessary to drain part of the water from the fields. Due to this, the sun's rays warm the ground better.

It is recommended to start harvesting when the grains turn white and the stems turn completely yellow. The plant needs to be cut or pulled out, and then dried for 3 days. At the next stage, he is threshed.

Then the rice should be cleaned of impurities, remove the film and polish. From 100 kilograms of unrefined grains, only 74 kilograms of pure grains can be obtained. Everything else is waste.

As a food crop, rice goes through different types of technological processing. This affects the nutritional value, taste and color of the cereal. The most common types of rice include the following:

Brown - This product is minimally processed. This helps to preserve the maximum of useful properties. In Asia, brown rice is a staple food for children and the elderly. In European countries and in America, it is popular among supporters of a he althy lifestyle.After processing, the product retains the maximum amount of valuable vitamins and minerals, as it retains the bran shell. It contains many nutrients. The main disadvantage is the short storage period.
Sanded is the most common type of cereal. In fact, this is the well-known white rice, which enters the market in significant volumes. It goes through several stages of grinding, after which it becomes even, smooth and white. This type of rice is characterized by a translucent endosperm. Due to the high content of small air bubbles, the grains sometimes become dull. In terms of the content of useful elements, such grains are inferior to brown and steamed varieties. At the same time, they are distinguished by excellent taste and attractive appearance.
Steamed is also a very popular and sought-after product that is often found in stores. The use of a special technology helps to preserve vitamins and minerals inside the grains.To do this, rice is placed in water and exposed to steam under high pressure. After that, the grains go through a series of successive stages, which helps to preserve the maximum of useful properties. This is due to the fact that under the influence of steam, nutrients from the surface layer move deep into the grains. Parboiled rice takes longer to cook because the rice is firmer.

Artificial

This type of rice is made in China. You can often hear the myth that such a product is made of plastic. The Chinese do not use it themselves, but send it to other countries. However, plastic rice has been debunked many times. In addition, an artificial product usually costs more than a natural one.

It's made on an extruder using a few ingredients. The composition of artificial cereal includes ordinary rice of various varieties and potato starch. Additionally, vitamins and other valuable elements are often added to cereals.Sometimes other cultures are used in the production of this product.

In the manufacture of artificial rice, the product loses the disadvantages of natural and acquires new advantages. At the initial stage, the raw materials need to be crushed and mixed. Then the resulting mass is repeatedly processed. As a result, it is possible to make grains of rice that look like a real product. However, this cereal is tastier and he althier.

Interesting facts

The history and technology of rice cultivation are connected with many interesting facts. Among them, it is worth highlighting the following:

Frost can destroy this crop almost instantly. This will result in the loss of the entire crop.
Rice is grown at a temperature of at least +10 degrees. Lower rates are detrimental to this crop.
This plant needs a lot of moisture. It cannot grow without enough water. Because the plant is often grown in flooded fields.
Rice shoots can reach 1.5 meters in height.
Approximately 70% of rice grains are carbohydrates. At the same time, the product contains a minimum of protein. Therefore, the rice diet is unlikely to help get rid of excess weight.
Rice is used not only for making cereals, drinks and pastries. In some countries of the world, delicious confectionery is prepared from it.
Rice is often used to make cosmetic powder.
Puffed rice is similar in structure to popcorn. It is made in a similar way.
The rice straw that remains after harvest is a valuable raw material used in the production of paper and cardboard.

For the first time this plant was cultivated about 9 thousand years ago.
More than half of the world's population mainly eats rice. This makes this culture the most important on Earth.
To determine the degree of maturity of the cereal, you should pay attention to visual signs. In this case, the stem should turn yellow, and the seeds should become milky white. They can also have a different shade, which depends on the variety - black, red or brown.

Rice is the most important cereal crop grown in many countries around the world. This product is considered the main source of nutrition for the majority of the world's population. Therefore, every year the rice plantations only increase every year.