WET RICE CULTIVATION

Wet rice cultivation is practiced

in many parts of the world. These
places generally have
•high temperature,
•heavy rainfall,
•low-lying land and
•clayey soil or fertile soil that
encourage wet rice cultivation.
•High temperature is required to
enable the rice seeds to germinate
and to grow.
•Heavy rainfall is necessary
because wet rice needs a lot of
water for growth.
•Where rainfall is low, farmers
respond by building canals to
irrigate their fields.
Wet rice grows well on flat land
that allows for flooding in the
growing season. Thus, most of the
rice-growing areas are found on
floodplains and deltas. However,
wet rice cultivation can be
practiced on slopes by cutting
steps on them to create flat strips
of land called terraces.
STEPS OF GROWING RICE
 1.Preparing the Land
A tractor is hired sometimes to
plough the land and money is paid.
The tractor is driven in different
direction so that the soil is broken
well.

After ploughing, a clod-crusher is

used to break the clods in the field.
 2. The Nursery

While the land is being prepared

the rice seeds (i.e. the grains of
rice) are sown in nursery in the
corner of a field. When the
seedlings are about 30 cm tall
they are ready for transplanting.
 3. Transplanting
When the rice are about 30 cm tall they are
then transported to main field. Bundles of
rice seedlings are carried from the nursery
to the prepared fields.

The workers’ bare feet sink into the mud as

they bend down to stick the seedlings into
the soil, under the water. It is skilled work
because the seedlings will float away if they
are not planted properly.
 Processes while the rice is growing
The rice grows for 3 months in the flooded fields during which a lot of hard
work is needed.

1. Protecting the rice crop from birds.

2. Fertilizing. Fertilizer (a substance added to soil to make it more fertile) is

scattered on the fields.

3. Using insecticide. Insecticide (a substance used for destroying insects) is

also scattered on the fields to try to prevent an attack by the stem borer
pest.

4. Harvesting. When it is harvesting time, the openings in the dikes round the
fields so that the water can drain away. Then the plant is harvested.

5. Threshing. It is the process that separates the grain from the rice plants.