Growing Rice

Rice can grow in many different environments, from dry hillsides to irrigated paddy fields to deep river water. In each environment, the rice plant develops in a similar way from germination to grain ready for harvest.

Rice plants grow from seed (that is, grains of rice still in the hull), usually seed that has been soaked for a day to soften it and help encourage germination. The seed may be planted directly in the field or started in a seedbed and then transplanted into the field once it has developed a root system. The seed is usually planted in wet soil and then ideally grown in flooded soil. The seed first sends out roots, leaves, and a stalk. The new leaves look like fresh green grass. Then come several more stems or stalks. On each of these develop flowers, which then turn into heads of rice grain, the fruit of the plant. In traditional varieties, the stalks may grow to over six feet in height; in new varieties, the stalks are generally much shorter, often less than three feet. As the grain ripens, the rest of the plant dries out and turns from green to golden.