What Is Rice? Understanding the Basics of Rice in One Article

Rice is an annual grass plant and belongs to the direct economic crops. Besides being edible, it can also be used to brew wine and make sugar as industrial raw materials, while rice husks and rice straw can serve as livestock feed. As a major food crop for humans, it also has numerous varieties. For example:

Introduction to Rice Varieties

1. Indica rice

About 20% of it is amylose. It is moderately sticky. Indica rice originated in the subtropics and is grown in tropical and subtropical regions. It has a short growing period and can mature multiple times a year in places with a long frost-free period. After husking into indica rice, it appears slender and has low transparency. Some varieties have a red outer layer, such as the red rice produced in Jiangxi, China; after cooking, the rice is relatively dry and loose. It is usually used for radish cake, rice noodles, and fried rice.

2. Japonica rice

Japonica rice has less amylose, below 15%. It is grown in temperate and cold zones, has a long growing period, and generally can mature only once a year. After husking into japonica rice, it appears round and short, and transparent (some varieties have partially chalky grains). Its cooking characteristics fall between those of glutinous rice and indica rice. It is used as ordinary table rice.

3. Early, middle, and late rice

The fundamental difference among early, middle, and late rice lies in their different responses to light. They can all mature normally when planted in any season of the year. Late rice is very sensitive to short daylight, while rice in northern rice-growing areas belongs to early rice or middle rice.

4. Giant rice

Giant rice stands upright, with long panicles and many grains, plump and full. The average height of each rice plant reaches 1.8 m, up to 2.25 m.

5. Seawater rice

Seawater rice (sea rice): this is a vivid name for salt-alkali-tolerant rice, a special type of rice that grows in saline-alkali land such as coastal mudflats. Its growing site is not seawater or the sea, but it is not afraid of short-term soaking by seawater.

In addition, as a major food crop for humans, the research and development of its new varieties has never stopped, and it is hard to say exactly how many varieties are currently eaten.