Rice Quality Training Manual 05

Rice Quality Training Manual
1.0 Introduction
Quality is not always easy to define as it depends on the consumer and the intended end use for the grain. All end users want the best quality that they can afford. As countries reach self-sufficiency in rice production, the demand by the consumer for better quality rice has increased. Traditionally, plant breeders concentrated on breeding for high yields and pest resistance. Now the demand is to incorporate preferred quality characteristics that increase the total economic value of rice.
Grain quality is not solely a varietal characteristic but also depends on the crop production environment, harvesting, processing and handling systems. Therefore, maintaining good grain quality is the concern of all disciplines such as breeding, agronomy, entomology, chemistry and engineering. The quality of grain is best when it reaches physiological maturity. Management from that point forward will determine the rate of decline in quality but is unable to stop some decline in quality from occurring.