Description
Rice is a type of cereal highly used as the main source of energy in the diet of almost half of the population. Unlike the other cereals, its root system is able to adapt to soils saturated with moisture. Rice can grow in flooded land, poor drainage or high salinities that would make it uncultivable with other crops. The stem of the rice is hollow internodes and full knots, with high tillering capacity. The inflorescence is a terminal panicle, flattened laterally, and its flowers are hermaphroditic and self-fertilizing. The grain in its mature state is surrounded by the two glumlets and is called paddy rice.
In Spain approximately 105,000 hectares of paddy rice are cultivated, with an annual production of 800,000 tons of rice grain. The areas where there are more rice crops in Spain are in Andalusia (south of Seville), in Catalonia (Ebro delta), Extremadura, Valencia and Aragón.
Soil
Regarding the optimal soil, rice can be adapted to soils with different textures (sandy, clayey…) and pH (from 4.5 to 8.5). In Spain, in the Ebro area the soil is alluvial with a clay texture. They are poor in organic matter and with high salinity. In the Badajoz area, the soil is neutral or slightly acidic, although it is also a flooded soil in which no other crop other than rice can be grown.
PH
Salinity
Quality
Temperature
Rice is a crop that needs an average temperature above 20ºC for about 3 months as minimum. Germination is slow and requires temperatures of 30ºC to be optimal and fast. During flowering it is very sensitive to cold, with temperatures of 15-19 ºC capable of causing significant production losses. During grain formation, temperatures below 18ºC can cause malformations. The flood water allows the crop to be in a constant and optimal temperature, mitigating the effects of sudden changes in temperature.
Irrigation
Irrigation properties
Varieties
The most cultivated varieties in Spain are the Albada, Bahía, Balilla x Sollana, Calca, Clot and Leda among many others. In reference to long rices, the most widely cultivated variety is Thaibonet.