Rice Feeds More People Than Any Other Crop
Rice is a cereal grain grown in flooded fields. Flooding is a weeding strategy, not a thirst.
Rice is a cereal grain that feeds more people than any other crop. Paddy fields are flooded not because rice needs standing water but because almost nothing else tolerates it: rice can survive submerged roots thanks to air channels in its stems, while competing weeds drown. The flooding is weed control that happens to suit one crop. The word travelled far — Greek *oryza*, probably from an Indian language, through Latin and Italian into English.
- A cereal grain. *Boiled rice.*
- Paddy — a flooded field. *A paddy field.*
- Brown rice. *Brown rice.*
- To rice — to press through a sieve. *Riced potato.*
- Greek — *oryza*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | rice | Rice. |
| Verb | rice | Riced. |
| Agent | ricer | A ricer. |
| Compound | paddy field | A paddy field. |
| Greek | oryza | Rice. |
- A bowl of rice.Food.
- Paddies are flooded to kill weeds.Farming.
- Riced potato is very fine.Cooking.
Why rice survives flooding
- Aerenchyma — air channels running down the stem
- Oxygen reaches the roots through those channels
- Most weeds have no such system and drown
- Deepwater varieties can elongate metres to stay above water
- The flood also moderates soil temperature
Old French *ris*, from Italian *riso*, from Latin *oryza*, from Greek *oryza*, probably of Indian origin.
Why are rice fields flooded?
Mainly to kill weeds. Rice can breathe through air channels in its stems while competing plants drown.
What does it mean to rice a potato?
To press it through a fine sieve so it emerges in grain-like strands, giving a very light mash.