| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
LIVORE Alberto INTA EEA,Head Researcher, 研究員
TSUNO Yukindo Tottori Univ., Prof., Emeritus, 名誉教授 (00036287)
YAMAJI Eiji Tokyo Univ., Fac.of Ag., Assc.Prof., 農学部, 助教授 (10143405)
KAKO Toshiyuki Kobe Univ., Fac.of Ag., Professor, 農学部, 教授 (00121533)
INAMOTO Shiro Kyoto Univ., Fac.of Ag., Professor, 農学部, 教授 (80026468)
|
|---|
| Research Abstract |
This study was originally started in 1991 focusing on japonica rice production in the U.S.Since then, except for the fiscal year 1994, it has been continuously conducted until March 1998. Overall, it was found that potential production of japonica rice in the world was enormous. There are three major types of potential increases in japonica rice production : TypeI--potential increase in paddy fields. This type of areas are observed in Southern part of Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Heilongjiang Province in China and West African countries. In the southern South America, those areas are currently used for pasture. Some considerable part of this huge flat open areas, which is about 3 times as large as the size of Japan, can be converted to paddy fields. In Heilongjiang, swampy area and upland fields are being converted to paddy fields at an unbelievably fast pace. Paddy fields in the Province was only about 400,000 ha in 1980 but it was 1.4 million ha in 1997. In West Africa, potential area
… More
s to be developed for paddy fields may be over 10 million ha which are not used for agriculture due to disease problems and lack of investment funding.
Type II--potential shift from indica rice to japonica rice. Production of indica/japonica rices depend on market prices. Because market prices are preferable on one kind over the other, indica rices might be produced in an area where japonica rice production is also suitable. In Central China along the coast, the shift from indica to japonica rices is tremendous. The domestic consumers often prefer japonica rice over indica and market prices of japonica prices are always greater. Accordingly, producers in the area are shifting the production system despite the fact that the yields of japonica rice is smaller than indica. Rice production in the South in the U.S.holds a great potential to shift from indica to japonica. However, domestic prices of indica rice currently are preferable for the producers ; therefore, shirts are very slow. In semi-tropical and tropical areas, japonica rice production was considered unsuitable. Many trials are being conducted and successfully produced in some areas in Southeast Asian countries. More researches are needed in this respect.
Type III--potential increases in yields. These are observed in California and Heilongjiang Province. Yields in California have been growing steadily reaching nearly 8 tons per ha (brown rice basis). According to the growing process during the last four decades, there is no indication that further growth is limited. In Heilongjiang, there is a growth in both areas and yields.
Regarding quality improvement of japonica rice, Koshihikari rice in Arkansas was produced successfully without lodging which is a serious problem all over the world. Production technology in Arkansas was improved by introducing the interval flooding method. It took them for two years to conduct it properly. Meanwhile, taste quality of Japanese variety rice produced in Southeast Asian countries is rather poor. It is worth while conducting tests to improve it in the area.
The fund and time of this study did not allow us to conduct a research on potential japonica rice production in the Easter Europe and the former Soviet Union areas. It seems that there are fairly large potential exist in the area. Detailed investigation is recommended. Less
|
