1.5. Cultivated rices

1.4.  Cultivated rices

 

  Asian rice(Oryza sativa L.) and African rice(Oryza glaberrima Steud.) are two cultivated species. Asian rices are grown worldwide but African rices are limited only to parts of West Africa. Asian rices have three eco-geographic races  : Indica, Javanica, and Japonica. Indica is the major type in the tropics and subtropics. It is characterized by  light green leaves, profuse tillering, long slender grain, mostly awnless, grain shattering, high amylose content. Javanica is grown mainly Indonesia. It has broad stiff light green leaves, low tillering, long panicle, long broad thick grain, non-grain shattering, medium amylose content.  Japonica thrives in the cooler zones of the subtropics and in the temperate zones. It possesses narrow dark green leaves, roundish grain, low amylose content. These three races have both non-glutinous and glutinous varieties. And there are both paddy rice and upland rice for each type. Indica has floating rice varieties.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                Diverse rice ecological types