Where is wild rice stem produced? Latest nationwide production area distribution overview
Before the Tang Dynasty, wild rice stem was cultivated as a grain crop, and its seeds were called wild rice or diaohu. At present, only China and Vietnam cultivate wild rice stem as a vegetable in the world. It mostly grows in the Yangtze River and lake areas and is suitable for growing in freshwater. Let us take a look below at what production areas and distribution wild rice stem has!
Production area distribution of wild rice stem
Wild rice stem is native to China and Southeast Asia. It is a relatively common aquatic vegetable, formed by the young stem of the grass family plant Zizania latifolia being stimulated by the smut fungus Ustilago esculenta to become a spindle-shaped swollen part. At present, only China and Vietnam cultivate wild rice stem as a vegetable, and China cultivated it earliest.
The production areas of wild rice stem are distributed across all parts of northern and southern China. It is planted in places including Hebei, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Fujian, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, China, Henan, Hunan, Hubei, Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Heilongjiang.
Production environment of wild rice stem
Wild rice stem is a warmth-loving plant, with a suitable growth temperature of 10-25°C, and it is not tolerant of cold or high-temperature drought. In plain areas, double-season wild rice stem is mostly planted. Double-season wild rice stem does not have strict requirements for day length but has high requirements for water and fertilizer conditions, and temperature is an important factor affecting stem formation.
Wild rice stem has a well-developed root system and a high water requirement. It is suitable for clay loam or loam with sufficient water sources, convenient irrigation, deep and soft soil layers, fertile soil, rich organic matter, and strong water and fertilizer retention capacity.
Wild rice stem has two types: autumn-produced single-season wild rice stem and autumn-summer double-season wild rice stem, both propagated by division. In the Yangtze River basin, single-season wild rice stem is divided into clumps and planted from Qingming to Guyu, while summer-autumn double-season wild rice stem can be divided into spring and autumn plantings, with spring planting around Guyu and autumn planting around Liqiu.
China's hometown of wild rice stem
In 2001, Hemudu Town was named “China's Hometown of Wild Rice Stem” by the Ministry of Agriculture. Among Yuyao wild rice stems, those from Hemudu Town are the most famous, with an annual output of 50,000 tons. Hemudu Town's ten-thousand-mu pollution-free wild rice stem base has successively been listed as a Ningbo second-level vegetable base, a wild rice stem supply base for Shanghai Vegetable Group, and a Zhejiang Province high-quality and efficient agriculture demonstration base.
In 2014, Pan'an County was officially awarded the honorary title of “China's Hometown of High-Mountain Wild Rice Stem” by the China Vegetable Marketing Association. Pan'an is the country's largest high-mountain wild rice stem planting base, and its wild rice stems have high recognition in major cities such as Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Suzhou.
In 2015, Jinyun was officially awarded the honorary title of “China's Hometown of Wild Rice Stem” by the China Vegetable Marketing Association.