Climatic Conditions: Implications on Yield, Rice Grain Quality and Chalkiness

Abstract

As rice is generally sold as milled grains, the price and quality of the milled rice are greatly influenced by its visual appearance. Along with head rice, chalkiness is an important criterion indicating the appearance quality of rice. This study was conducted in Barat Laut Selangor granary area to evaluate the influence of climatic conditions on yield, grain quality and chalkiness in two selected rice varieties (MR 220 CL2 and MARDI Siraj 297) harvested from different sites during the main season and off season. Results showed that grain yield, yield components and grain quality for both varieties differed in response to climatic conditions during the main season and off season. The grain yield, yield components and all grain qualities, including chalkiness, varied significantly according to the season, variety and site. Higher grain yield in the off season was partly the result of higher daily sunshine received during that season compared to the main season. Grain with higher chalkiness during the off season was associated with temperature and daily sunshine. As expected, there was a significant relationship between head rice and grain chalkiness. However, the eating and cooking quality of the rice did not differ in response to climatic conditions. In summary, it has been demonstrated that rice varieties react differently to climatic conditions in terms of yield and grain qualities, including chalkiness.