Rice Grain Identity Preservation
STEWART RUNSICK
JONESBORO, ARK.
Identity preservation (IP) of grains is not a new concept. It has been in practice in its simplest form since the beginning of agriculture. IP refers to a system of production, handling, and marketing practices that maintain the integrity and purity of agricultural commodities. The diversity of crops with unique traits has increased the demand for IP programs. This system is in demand in the rice industry as well. Making news recently was an article entitled Identity-preserved hybrid rice making its way into export markets. If you haven’t already, I would encourage you to read the article. It can be found on our homepage at www.ricetec.com and explains how identity-preserved hybrid rice grain is making a positive impact on sales into the United States’ largest export market.
The goal of IP is to separate individual hybrids/varieties during storage to try and eliminate co-mingling of lines for higher consistency of quality and create greater consumer confidence. Why is this important? Milling and processing performance of rice is different due to different physical and chemical properties among cultivars. Some hybrids tend to mill more quickly due to a thinner bran layer. Grain size, grain maturity, and moisture content at harvest all have an effect on milling yield and quality. Keeping these factors as consistent as possible allows for the highest possible milling yields and processing performance.
A successful IP program does not begin at harvest. It starts with proper planning and must be in place throughout the entire production process. The following are things to consider when deciding to IP: plant rice seed only in fields in which rice was not grown the previous year, only plant seed of the same hybrid on the levees, do not plant other rice hybrids or varieties in the same field, clean and inspect all equipment used in connection with planting and harvesting the grain, store rice in clean bins separate from other rice grain, and do not co-mingle or mix grain.
RiceTec is committed to quality and is aggressively pushing to establish a system of IP after harvest. Hybrid rice has many advantages over other cultivars that are appealing to certain companies, such as better water use, more efficient nitrogen use, higher per capita yields, and lower methane emissions. We are pursuing and strengthening relationships with processors and industry users that place an importance in these characteristics to develop more markets for hybrid rice grain and our customers. For more information on Identity Preservation, contact your local RiceTec Technical Services Representative.∆
STEWART RUNSICK: Technical Services, RiceTec, Inc.