12 Steps for

Successful Rice
Production

12StepsforSuccessfulRiceProduction

Contents

Step1:UseaCropCalendar
Step2:Choosethebestvariety
Step3:Usethebestqualityseed
Step4:Prepareandlevelthefieldswell
Step5:Plantontime
Step6:Weedearly
Step7:Fertilizertomaximizereturns
Step8:Usewaterefficiency
Step9:.Harvestontime
Step10:Storesafely
Step11:Millefficiently
Step12:Understandthemarket

12 Steps for Successful Rice Production

Step1:UseaCropCalendar
Acropcalendarisapictureofyourricegrowingseason:cropproductionfromthefallow,
land preparation, crop establishment and maintenance though to harvest and storage. By
using a crop calendar, farm activities are better planned, done at the right time and it is
easier to organize labor and obtain inputs such as seed and fertilizer. Better planning will
decreaseinputcostsandincreaseyields.

S e e d
i n g T r n
a s p a
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t in g
T li

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l ri n g

In e
t rn o d e

P n
a i lc e
i ti a
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i ti o n

F o
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M a u
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Veget atvi e gr owt h s t age

Depends on v ar e
i ty

Repr oduc ti v e

Rip eni ng

35 day s

30 day s

Howtocreateacropcalendar
1. Determinethebestdatetoplant
2. Determinethetimethevarietytakesfromplantingtoharvest(shortduration100
120,medium120140,long160daysplus)
3. Mostvarietiestake5055daysfrompanicleinitiationtoharvest
4. Markonthecalendarthedateofplantingandwheneachotheroperationneedstobe
done.(plowing,weeding,fertilizing,harvesting)
5. Pinthecalendarinaprominentplacetoremindyouwhenthingsneedtobedone

Usingacroppingcalendarimprovesthe
timelinessandreducescosts

12StepsforSuccessfulRiceProduction

STEP2:Choosethebestvariety
The most suitable variety is the one that best meets the farmer and the consumers
needs. It may not always give the highest yield and will be influenced by availability
water,eitherfromrainorirrigation,soiltype,andfieldelevationandwhethertherice
willbesoldorconsumedathome
Selectavarietythatsuitsyourgrowingconditions.
Varietiesshouldbeselectedthathavegoodyieldpotential,resistancetodisease,good
eating qualities, high milling yield and are suitable for the market. When selecting a
varietycheckonthe:

Cropduration

Long duration varieties (160 days plus) suitable for irrigated areas or flood
proneareas
Mediumdurationvarieties(120140days)suitableforbothrainfedandirrigated
areas
Shorttermvarieties(lessthan120days)suitablefordroughtproneareasorfor
doublecropping.

Cropheight

Tall varieties (1.4m plus) suitable for flood

prone and unleveled fields, lodging may be a
problem
Medium height varieties (11.2m) and are
suitable for most areas and are not as
susceptibletolodgingwhenfertilizerisused.
Short varieties best suited to level fields
especially in irrigated areas. They are
responsive to fertilizers and are normally less
than1m.
Grainquality
Apremiumisoftenpaidforaromaticvarietiesbutyieldsarenormallylower
Eatingqualitysuchassoftness,stickinessandcoloraftercookingareimportant

Highestyieldsdonotalwaysgivethehighestfinancialreturn

12StepsforSuccessfulRiceProduction

STEP3:Usethebestqualityseed

Goodqualityseedreducestherequiredseedingrate,producesstronghealthyseedlings
whichresultsinamoreuniformcropandhigheryields.
Goodseedis

cleannostonesorsoil,weedseed,
pureonlygrainsfromonevariety,
healthyfullbiggrains,samecolor,nocracksor
spotting

Goodqualityseedcanbeeitherboughtascertifiedseedor
producedbythefarmer

Producegoodqualityseed
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Selectalevelfieldwithwellmaintainedbundswhichiseasytoaccess.
Useclean,pure,andhealthyseed.
Doafloattestontheseedbeforeplantingandremoveanyseedsthatfloat.
Usegoodmanagementpracticesbyplantingontime,applyfertilizer,start
weedingbefore21daysafterestablishmentanddonotletweedsgotoseed;

Roguethefieldsbyremovingallriceplantsthatclearlylookdifferentduring
thevegetative,floweringandgrainfillingstages.
Harvestatfullmaturitywhen8085%ofthegrainsarestrawcoloredorat21
22%moisture.
Thresh,anddryquicklyafterharvest.
Storesafelyandlabelcontainersorbagswithvarietynameanddateofharvest.

Plantpure,cleanandhealthyseeds

12StepsforSuccessfulRiceProduction

STEP4:Prepareandlevelthefieldswell
Awellpreparedandleveledfieldgivesauniform,healthycropthatcancompetewithweeds,
useslesswaterandgiveshigheryieldsatalowercost.
Awellpreparedfieldhas:
Many small soil clods to give good seed soil
contactclodsizeandseedsizearesimilar.
Noweeds
Harderlayerat10cmtostopwaterpenetrating
Levelandsmoothsurfaceafterworking.
Wellconstructedbunds

Topreparethefield
When possible plow immediately after the previous harvest especially if the soil is still
moist.
Firstorprimaryplowing.Useadiscormoldboardplowtokillweedsandincorporatetrash,
preferably68weeksbeforeplantingmaximumdepthneeded10cm.
Second plowing. Plow across the field with the disc or tine harrow at least twice to make
smallclodsizes.Secondplowingshouldbe23weeksbeforeplantingandthelastharrowing1
weekbeforeplantingmaximumdepth57.5cm.
Repair bunds. Destroy rat burrows and repair any holes and cracks and recompact the
bunds.Bundsshouldbeatleast0.5mhighand1mwide.
Levelingthefieldwillgivebetterwatercoverage,bettercropestablishmentandbetterweed
control.
Soil Puddling should be done at least 12 days before seeding to allow the water to clear
whendirectseeding.

Levelfieldsgivethebestyields

12StepsforSuccessfulRiceProduction

Step5:Plantontime

Plantingthecropontimewillhelpproduceafastgrowing,
uniformcropthatwillhavehigheryieldsandwillbebetter
ablecompetewithweedsandpests.Thebesttimetoplant
depends on the locality, variety, water availability and the
best harvest time. Rice can be either transplanted from a
nurseryordirectseededinthefield.Transplantedcropswill
normally take less time in the production field but 1015
dayslongerforthetotalcropduration.Inbothcasesawell
preparedseedbedisneeded.

3. Apply and incorporate basal fertilizer

Fortransplantedcrops:
before the last plowing or at 10 days
1. Selectanurserysite1/10oftheintended
afterestablishment
plantingarea

2. Prepare the nursery by plowing at least

Wetdirectseeding
twiceandharrowatleastonce.
1. Pregerminationseed.Soaktheseedfor
3. Levelthesoilsurfaceandputindrainage
24hrs and then drain for 24hours in the
linesacrossthefield
4. Pre germination and sowing. Soak the
shade before broadcasting evenly over
thewatercoveredsoilsurface.
seed for 24hrs and then drain for
2. Broadcast pregerminated seed at
24hours in the shade before
broadcasting evenly over the water
100kg/ha
3. Allow surface water to drain or
coveredsoilsurface.
5. Apply seed: 3040kg seed/transplanted
percolatenaturallyintosoil
4. Keepsoilsurfacemoistbyaddingwater
ha.
5. Addpermanentwaterat1015daysafter
6. Apply both chemical or animal
fertilizerbeforethelastplowing.
establishmentorat23leafstage
7. Transplanting age: shortmedium
6. Apply basal fertilizer after permanent
duration varieties need 2030 days and
waterisadded
long duration varieties need 2040 days
Drydirectseeding
innurseryafterseeding.
1. Hand broadcast dry seed at 100kg/ha
8. Transplant in lines into puddled and
andmachine
watercoveredfields.
2. Machine drill seed at 80kg/ha and
9. Maintainwatercoverageinfield
20mmdepth
Fordirectseeding:
3. Applybasalfertilizerwiththroughthe
1. Prepare the field by plowing at least
seeddrill
twiceandharrowingoncecompareseed
4. Cover broadcast seed and fertilizer
sizeandclodsize
withalightharrowing
2. Levelthesoilsurface
5. Flashflooduntil15daysafter
emergenceor2leafstageandthenadd
permanentwater.
12StepsforSuccessfulRiceProduction

Step6:Weedearly
Weeds compete directly with the rice plants and reduce
riceyield.Each1kgdrymatterofweedsisequivalentto
1kggrainloss.Weedscausemostyieldlosswithinthefirst
2050daysaftercropestablishment.Weedingafterpanicle
initiation may also be important to prevent weeds
sheddingseedsinfuturecrops.

Effectiveweedmanagement

Plowing and harrowing in fallow should be undertaken at least 1014 days

apartorafterrain.

Good land leveling reduces weed growth because most weeds have trouble
germinatingunderwater

Selectvarietieswhichhaveearlyvigor

Usecleanriceseedwhichisfreeofweedseeds.

Applypermanentwaterearlyweedscannotgerminateunderwater.

First weeding begun within 23 weeks after establishment and the second in
another23weeks.Weedbeforefertilizerapplication.

Using herbicides. Identify the weed correctly and use the appropriate
herbicideasrecommendedonthelabel.

Spraywhentheweedsaresmall

Preemergentherbicidesapplyafterplantingpriortoestablishment

Postemergentherbicidesapplyafteremergencebeingcarefulofcropdamage

Herbicidesarepoisonous;iftheyare not used properlythey cancause health

andenvironmentproblems.Labelthemclearlyandkeepthemoutofchildrens
reach.

Alwaysuseprotectiveclothingwhenspraying.

Donotwearraincoatsasthisincreasessweating.

Oneyearsseedingequalssevenyearsweeding

12StepsforSuccessfulRiceProduction

Step7:Fertilizertomaximizereturns
Most soils provide only limited amount of nutrients to the crop, therefore fertilizers
need to be applied to increase grain yield. In some cases fertilizers are also added to
improve the soils physical condition. The amount and type of fertilizer applied are
determined on the assumption that 1 ton of grain will remove 15kg nitrogen, 23kg
phosphateand1520kgofpotash.Thesebaseratesneedtobemodifiedaccordingtothe
soil type, the season, the crop condition and prevailing weather conditions and
efficiencyofapplication.Forefficientfertilizeruse:

Use organic fertilizer (manure, compost, straw, husk, plant leaves) whenever
possibleespeciallyinnurseries.
Apply fertilizer according to soil type and
expected yield. As a guide, for a 2 t/ha yield on
clay loam soil will requires 20kgN, 5kg P. Sandy
soilsmayrequireanother1015kgK.Doublethese
recommendationsfora3t/haexpectedyield
Apply all P and K and 10% N evenly and
incorporate just before seeding or transplanting.
For direct seeded broadcast crops it is okay to apply 1014 days after
establishmentwhenthereiswaterinthefields;
ApplyremainingN(urea)in2equalportionsat30daysand5060days(panicle
initiation)afteremergence
Inestablishedcropsapplychemicalfertilizeronlyinstandingwaterandevenly
acrossthewholefield.
Donotapplyhighratesoffertilizerfortraditionalvarietiesastheymayhave
limitedresponseandlodge.
Do not use chemical fertilizer if you need
Dark green leaves
and fast growth
more than 5 kg paddy to pay for 1 kg
Roots and tillers
fertilizer.
Healthy plants
Inorganic fertilizers must be stored dry
andcool.Theyarenotverypoisonousbut
keepthemoutofchildrensreach.

12StepsforSuccessfulRiceProduction

Step8:Usewaterefficiency
Wateravailabilitylargelydeterminesthepotentialcropyield.Foracroptocontinueto
growrequiresthatwatersupplywillneedtobesimilaroralittleaboveevaporation.In
anefficientsystem,each1kgofgrainproducedwillrequireaminimumof2000liters
or2mofwater.
Good water control increases crop yields and grain quality as well as improving the
efficiency of other inputs such as fertilizer, weeds, herbicide, and pesticides. To
maximizewateruseefficiency:

Maintainthebunds
Levelthefields
Puddlethefieldswherepossible
Usedirectseedingtechniques
Useshortdurationcrops
Harvestontime

Waterquality
Goodqualitywaterisnecessarytomaximizecropgrowth.Thericeplantissusceptible
to salinity especially at the seedling stage and during the panicle development stage
frompanicleinitiationtobooting.Symptomsofsalinityincludefiringofleavesand
reduceddrymatterproduction.Theeffectsofhighsalinityduringpanicledevelopment
arelessobviousasthereislittleleafeffectbutfloretsandgrainnumbersperpanicleare
reducedwhichgreatlyreducesyield.
Factor

Units

Noproblem

Slightmoderate problem

Severeproblems

pH

nounits

6..58.5

<6.5;>8.5

<6.5;>8.5

SalinityEcw(water)

dS/m=mmol/cm

<2.0

2.02.6

>2.6

SalinityEce(soil)

dS/m

<3.0

3.03.8

>3.8

TDS

mg/l

<450

4502,000

>2,000

Specificiontoxicity
SodiumSAR

nounits

<3

>9

Chloride

me/l

<4

10

>10

Boron

mg/l

<0.7

0.73.0

>3.0

BicarbonateHCO32

me/l

<4

>4

>4

Cropscannotgrowwithoutgoodqualitywater
12StepsforSuccessfulRiceProduction

STEP9.Harvestontime
Harvesting the crop on time is very important to maximize yields and grain quality. Crops
harvestedtoearlywillhavemanyunfilledandimmaturegrainswhichwillbreakeasilywhen
milled and not germinate if used for seed. If crops are harvested late, heavy losses will occur
throughshatteringandbirdattacks.Qualitywillalsodecreaseduetograinweatheringwhich
alsoresultsinmorebreakagesanddowngradingthroughpoorgraincolor.

Cropsshouldbeharvestedwhen:

Grain moisture is between 2022% which is normally

about30daysafterflowering.
8085%ofthegrainsarestrawcolored.
Grains in the lower part of the panicle are hard, not
soft.
Grainsarefirmbutnoteasilybrokenwhensqueezed
betweentheteeth.

Aftercuttingmaximizegrainqualityby:

Ensurethepaniclesdonottouchthegroundorlayinwater.
Minimizingthetimethecutpaniclesremaininlargebundlesinthefieldthreshwithin
24hrs.ofcutting.
Drythegrainsassoonaspossibleafterthreshing.
When sun drying turn or stir the grains at least once
everyhourtoachieveuniformdrying.
Sundryontarpaulinsorcleandryingpads
Keepthethicknessofthegrainlayerat35cm,
Onhotdayscoverthegrainduringmiddaytoprevent
overheating,andcoverthegrainimmediatelyifitstarts
raining.
Cleanthegrainbyrepeatedwinnowingafterdrying.
Storethericeinacool,dry,andcleanareaforseedpreferablyinasealedcontainers.

Protectyourharvestthreshanddryquicklyaftercutting

12StepsforSuccessfulRiceProduction

STEP10:StoreSafely
Rice is best stored as paddy because the husk provides some protection against insects and
helpspreventgrainqualitydeterioration.Asafestoragesystemwillpreventthegraingetting
wetafterdryingandalsogiveprotectionfrominsects,rodentsandbirds.
Ricecanbestoredforlongerperiodsif:

Moistureismaintainedatlessthan14%forgrainand12%forseed.

Grainisprotectedfrominsects,rodentsandbirds

Grainisprotectedfromrewettingbyrainorfromthesurroundingair.

A rule of thumb for seed is that the life of the seed will be halved for every 1% increase in
moisturecontentora5oCincreaseinstoragetemperatureaboverecommendedlevels.

RiceStoragesystems
Bagstoragesystem

Bagsshouldnotbestackedhigherthan4m.
Bags should be stacked under a roof, in a shed or
underwaterprooftarpaulins
A one meter gap should be left between and around
stacks
Bagsshouldbestackedonpalletsoraboveground
Bagsshouldbestackedsothatfumigationcanbeundertakenifnecessary.

Bulkstorage
Grain can be stored in bulk in containers made from wood,
metal or concrete, located under or inside the house. While
these storages vary in size they all need to be protected from
insects,rodents,birdsattackaswellasmoistureuptake

HermeticSealedstorage
Sealedorhermeticstoragesystemsareaveryeffectivemeansof
controllinggrainmoisturecontentandinsectactivityforseedor
grainstoredintropicalregions.Sealedstoragecontainerscome
inallshapesandsizes.Theymayrangefroma50kgsuperbag,a
small25lplasticcontainers,200litreoildrumtothemorecostly
sealedlargeplasticcommercialstorageunitsfrom1300tons.

12StepsforSuccessfulRiceProduction

STEP11:MillEfficiently
Millingricepaddyremovesthehuskandbranlayertoproducewhiterice.Riceisbestmilledat
1314%moistureandthebestresultsareattainedwhentheprocessiscompletedinanumberof
stageandgraintemperaturesdonotexceed45Cduringtheprocess.Anefficientmillwill
removethehusk(20%),thebranormeal(810%)andleave70%aswhiterice.Ricegrownin
irrigatedsystemsshouldattain60%whitericeasheadrice(unbrokenwhitekernels)andrain
fedsystems4050%asheadrice.Thereareanumberofdifferenttypesofricemillsand
processingbeingused.Theseinclude:
1.

Handpoundingusingamortarwithapestleresultsinveryhighnumberofbroken
riceandleavesbrownrice(meallayerstillattached).Cleaningofthehuskisdoneby
winnowing

2.

Aonestepmillingprocesswherethehuskandthebranareremovedinonepass
andwhitericeisproduceddirectlyfromthepaddy.Thesinglepassricemillisan
adaptationoftheEnglebergcoffeehuller.Thisprocessresultsinmanybrokenkernels,
lowwhitericerecoveryof5055%andheadriceyieldslessthan30%.Thefinebrokens
areoftenmixedinwiththebranandthegroundricehusk.

3.

Atwostepprocesswherethehuskandthebranare
removedseparately.Thesemillsareoftencalledcompactrice
millsandinmanycountrieshavesupersededtheEngleberg
mill.Thetwostagemillhasseparatehullingandthepolishing
processes.Rubberrollersremovethehuskandthebrownriceis
thenpolishedwithasteelfrictionwhitener.Thesemillshavea
capacityof0.5to1tonperhourpaddyinputandareoftenused
forcustommillingintheruralareas.Themillingperformance
ofthecompactricemillissuperiortothesinglepasshuller
withmillingrecoveriesnormallyabove60%.

4.

Amultistageprocesswherericepassesthroughanumberofdifferentoperations
andmachinesfrompaddytowhiterice.Themillingprocessinlargercommercialmills
combinesanumberofoperationsthatproduceshigherqualityandhigheryieldsof
whitericefrompaddyrice.Theprocessinvolves:
Precleaningthepaddypriortomilling
Removingthehuskorouterlayerfromthepaddy
Polishingorwhitingthebrownricetoremovethebranlayer
Separatingthebrokengrainsfromthewholekernels
Baggingthemilledrice
Managingthebyproducts

Poorgrainqualityintothemillmeanspoorqualityriceout
12StepsforSuccessfulRiceProduction

STEP12:Understandthemarket
The value of milled rice in the market is determined by a
number of physical and chemical characteristics which is
determined by the consumer and will vary within and
betweencountries.

Physicalcharacteristics
Milling degree or color. The degree of milling or amount of
the brown rice removed affects the color of white rice and
often the price. Under milled rice absorbs water poorly and
doesnotcookwellandisnormallycheaper.
Headricepercentageor%brokens.Headrice(wholekernels)alsoincludesbrokenkernels
that are 7580% of the whole kernel. High head rice yield is one of the most important
criteria for measuring milled rice quality. High quality rice normally has less than 5%
brokens.
Whiteness or translucency. This characteristic is a combination of varietal physical
characteristics and the degree of milling. During milling, the whitening and polishing
greatlyaffectthewhitenessofthegrainanditstransparency
Chalkiness. Grain appearance is affected by the amount of chalkiness or white belly.
Chalkiness is caused by interruption of final filling of the grain. Though chalkiness
disappearsuponcookingandhasnodirecteffectoncookingandeatingqualities,excessive
chalkinessoftendowngradesthequalityandreducesmillingrecovery.

Chemicalcharacteristics
Gelatinization temperature or cooking time. Environmental conditions, such as
temperature during ripening, influence gelatinization temperature. There is normally a
preferenceforricewithintermediategelatinizationtemperature.
Amylosecontentorstickiness.Theamylosecontentofriceusuallyrangesfrom15to35%.
High amylose ricehas high volume expansion and grains cook dry, are less tender and
becomeharduponcooling.Lowamylosericecooksmoistandsticky.Intermediateamylose
rice(2124%)ispreferredinmostricegrowingareasoftheworld.
Gel consistency measures the tendency of the cooked rice to harden on cooling. Varieties
withasoftergelconsistencyarepreferredifconsumedaftercooling,andthecookedricehas
ahigherdegreeoftenderness.

Eatingqualityisdeterminedbytheconsumer

12StepsforSuccessfulRiceProduction