How do you plant and grow rice in the usa?

Can someone explain how rice is cultivated please?

• I know rice farmers use an irrigation system etc but I saw the harvesting of it around the Bombay region and it looked more like wheat in height and appearance. Are the rice grains in the head of the plant much like wheat? Can anyone explain what conditions it needs to grow and what is involved in the process? Especially why it needs to be submerged in water ? Is this followed by a 'dry' period of growth also?

• Answer:

  Rice is a water loving plant ( Technically called Hydrophyte ) so it requires to be in submerged conditions . As the grains mature then water must dry out. Grain with brown husk ( this is fruit and seed combined ) is called paddy ( Hence rice cultivation is also called paddy cultivation. The dehusked grain is called rice ( It is white and with out the embryo part . so if put in soil it will never germinate . It is only the paddy mentioned above capable of germination ) Paddy cultivation requires "Transplanting " That is after germination the seedlings with good height are literally uprooted and replanted in another plot in water logged conditions . This is perhaps what you saw the rice farmers doing in paddy field Rice is a close relative of wheat and the two are similar in an appearance from distance . A click on the following links will give you an insight in rice cultivation and more = http://www.indepthinfo.com/rice/cultivation.htm http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/sci/A0860730.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddy_field Rice plant with covered grain ( Husk )- http://www.duke.edu/web/soc142/team3/Group%20Rice/Rice%20plant.jpg wheat plant - http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3264/2408996714_ab85dcc952.jpg Paddy field with water = http://www.molon.de/galleries/Malaysia/Sarawak/Kelabit/Rice/images01/18%20Paddy%20field.jpg Paddy field drying out - http://www.buffalotours.com/upload/english/product/Cycle-through-paddy-field2582.jpg Paddy bundles ready for transplanting = http://www.dotcompalsphotoblog.com/images/20080630132004_img_4522.jpg Mechanical process of transplanting = http://photos.merinews.com/upload/imageGallery/bigImage/1225775861521.jpg Transplantig by hands ( Manual method )= http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070602/pb5.jpg Paddy being harvested = http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3457/3379761339_feb32362a6.jpg Thank you !