Rice Cultivation Farming
Rice is one of the major staple foods in the world, which is grown and consumed across all geopolitical zones and socioeconomic classes.
Rice consumption is increasing rapidly in the world because of the shift in consumer preference towards rice, increasing population growth, increased income levels, and rapid urbanization in different countries.
Adaptability
Climatic requirements
Temperature
Rice performs better in regions having prolonged sunlight. It performs well in areas having hot and high humidity climatic conditions. The optimum temperature for Rice seedling emergence is 25 - 30℃. A temperature higher than 40 ℃ seedlings die. Lower than 10 ℃ Rice seedlings cannot grow. Growth of seedlings need 5-6 ppm oxygen.
Rainfall
Rice cultivation requires a well distributed rainfall which has an optimum of 1750 mm to 3000 mm annually. It can also be cultivated in areas having annual rainfall as low as 711.45 mm.
Soil
Rice performs well in clay or clay loam soils having an optimal soil pH of a range of 6 to 7.
Cultivation Practices
Site selection
You should select a good site which has all the rice cultivation ecological requirements. Thus, the selected site should have clay or clay loam soils having an optimal soil pH of a range of 6 to 7. The selected site should be in a region which receives an optimum of 1750 mm to 3000 mm annually, if your Rice will be grown under rain water.
Some farmers grow their Rice on lowland, which are areas very close to flood places) while others grow Rice in uplands, which are areas having 700 mm of rainfall annually and have good soil fertility.
Seed selection
For high yields, you should select high quality seeds, which are disease free with high germination percentages at least 80% to reduce the extra cost of Rice production. The best way to do this, is by buying certified Rice seeds from certified companies in your local area.
Seed dormancy
Dormancy is a problem in Rice cultivation, and is defined as the inability of a seed to germinate under good conditions required for germination. You should solve this problem by heating your Rice seeds to a temperature around 50 °C.
You can also eliminate dormancy in Rice by break soaking the Rice in a concentrated nitric acid for a period of 16 to 24 hours. Concentration percentage of nitric acid should be 69% per litter of water.
Planting methods
Rice is planted by any of these three methods in your field: Drill, Broadcast and Dibble. For straight row planting and optimum plant population, you should use the Drilling and Dibbling methods.
Time of sowing
Planting or sowing time depends on location of selected sites where you want to grow your Rice as lowland closest to flood area has moisture all the time suitable for growing Rice, while upland areas will have to wait for rain season.
When you are growing your Rice under rainfall, you should plant your Rice at the beginning of the rainy season.
Transplanting of Rice
Rice can be sown in a nursery bed and later transplanted into your field when all the seedlings have germinated. This method works best when you want to grow your Rice on a small piece of land, but it becomes tiresome when you want to grow more hectares of land.
Fertilization
To ensure the right amount of fertilizer is applied to your Rice field, you should conduct a soil test first, to know the nutrient content of the soil. For lowland, it is recommended to apply 60 to 80 kg of nitrogen per hectare and 13 kg of phosphorus per hectare. You will likely apply 4 bags of N-P-K fertilizer per hectare of Rice to achieve required nutrients. Similarly, you can also apply similar quantity in uplands Rice cultivation.
Weed control
Rice field requires weeding 2 times in 3 to 6 weeks and this should be done manually using a hoe. Herbicides can also be used to control the weeds, but you should follow the instructions.
Harvesting
Rice harvesting starts from 125 to 136 days from the time of planting depending on the type of variety and other factors Harvesting is done by cutting the rice stem close to the base and this can be done using a sickle.