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[R] Oryza stiva L. (Poaceae).
Fr: Riz; Ge: Reis; Sp: Arroz; It: Rizo; Pt: Arroz.
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- Rice is a tall, annual grass, that is self-fertilizing, essentially used for human consumption; it is the basis of the diet for a great portion of the world's population.
- The inflorescence is a branched panicle and the fruit is a caryopsis (*) ; rice is a very important crop.
- In Europe, rice is cultivated in Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal and France (Camargue).
- There are more than 2,000 varieties of rice in the world. The characteristics that vary are the form, the size and grain quality, the tendancy to lodge, the precociousness, the tillering and the productivity.
- The pre-germinated seeds are sown either directly in open fields or in nurseries, in which case they must be transplanted. It may be cultivated as a dry crop, but the yield is often low and it depends on high precipitation. It is therefore generally cultivated as a flooded crop The rice paddy is harvested in autumn, after the field is drained, with a combine-harvester. After hulling it becomes cargo-rice and after bleaching, white rice is obtained for European consumption.
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- Diseases: the parasitic disease, blast of rice due to Piricularia oryzae causes serious damage in rice fields. Fungi cause rot in the stubble.
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- Principal European pests: nematodes pose serious problems as well as the gout fly, Chlorops pumilionis (Bjerkander) (Dip., Chloropidae).

[R] Images

* Rice stem (Minost C.)
a: stem; b: leaf narrow; c: inflorescence (panicle) ramose, more or less broad and dense; d: spikelet uniflorous containing one single seed (caryopse).

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HYPPZ on line: Species (scientific names), Pests (common names), Glossary, Crops.

HYP3 : HYPP Phytopathology.

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