AGRO 3503, Rice introduction – Unit II-1.  Notes and quiz.  (20 pts)

 

Rice is the staple food for roughly 2/3 of the world’s population.  New archaeological findings suggest that rice was cultivated over 8000 years ago!  Rice is a warm season annual, although some perennial types exist in Asia.  Two major groups of rice exist:

                        1. Oryza sativa, var. indica – taller, thinner stalked, mostly long-grained

                            types produced in the southern states,

                        2. Oryza sativa, var. japonica – mostly short and medium grained types

                            produced primarily in California.  Asian markets prefer these types.

Over 8000 varieties of rice exist!  Three main ecotypes of rice are cultivated:

                        1. lowland – the most common, grown in flooded paddies.

                        2. upland – grown in high elevations in benched paddies. 

                        3. deepwater – rice grown in flood regions of monsoon areas such as

                            Bangladesh.  These types of rice can grow in water over 6 ft deep!!!

 

Find out more about rice from the link below and answer the following questions.

 

                                    Rice Introduction

 

1. Rice is the staple food for ___ of the world’s population.

            A. 1/3                          B. 1/2                           C. 2/3                          D. 3/4

 

2. Rice that has almost round kernels that cling together when worked are:

            A. short grain                                                        B. long grain

            C. medium grain                                        D. aromatic

 

3. Wild rice is:

            A. a short grain biotype                         B. an indica hybrid

            C. an extra-long grain type                              D. not rice at all, an aquatic grass

 

4. Rough rice is:

            A. broken kernels                                      B. completely cooked brown rice

            C. unbroken kernels                                     D. kernels still in the hull

 

5. A whole kernel of rice is defined as kernels of rice which are:

            A. 1/2 length or greater                          B. 3/4 length or greater

            C.  completely unbroken or scratched                      D. kernels still within the hulls

 

6. Cultivation of rice in southwestern Louisiana began around:

            A. 1726                B. 1680                C. 1920                D. 1884

 

7. The ‘sheller’ machine in a rice mill produces:

            A. rough rice                                                         B. brown rice

            C. parboiled rice                                       D. polished rice

 

8. In modern day rice cultivation, fertilizers and crop protectants are applied:

            A. from buggy applicators controlled by computers

            B. as seed treatments to hybrid varieties

            C. in the soil prior to planting

            D. from the air using GPS technology

 

9. About ___% of rice consumed in the U.S. is produced within its borders.

            A. 25%                        B. 50%                        C. 90%                        D. 100%

 

10. The largest rice producing state in the U.S. is:

            A. AR                          B. LA                           C. TX                          D. CA