continued from:

『Collecting Soil for Seedling Trays.』Mr A. here! Collecting soil for seedlings is a challenging task that requires p…

ameblo.jp

Mr A here!

At Usa Hon Hyakusho, we cultivate Hinohikari rice.

Selecting seeds:

Our seeds undergo mechanical drying, h owever, selected rice seeds are diverted before arriving at the dehusking stage.

These seeds are gathered and passed through a seed grading machine (refer to the image below).

The seed grader sorts the seeds by size, simultaneously removing any dirt, small or empty grains, and debris.

Pictured below is a seed grader:

This is the seed rice before and after being put through the seed grader (image below):

Seed Quality:

Maximizing seed quality is especially vital to natural farmers because soil cannot be amended and fertilizer and pesticides cannot be used.

To achieve high yields and lower seed costs, it is crucial to use quality seeds with lower seed rates.

A high seed rate leads to plants growing in closer proximity to each other, resulting in weaker stems and ultimately lower yields, as well as increased seed costs.

Seed quality - IRRI Rice Knowledge BankSeed is a living product that must be grown, harvested and processed correctly to maximize its viability and subsequent crop productivity. For the yield potential of any rice varie…

www.knowledgebank.irri.org

Seed Storage:

Hinohikari and mochi rice seeds are kept at a cool temperature of around 13 degrees Celsius, until planting season begins, for ideal humidity levels (14%) and to retain freshness.

Ensuring the accurate storage temperature is essential for reducing the growth of fungi that damage rice grains.

Hot Water Treatment:
The picture below depicts the transfer of rice seeds into blue mesh bags, preparing them for the Hot Water Treatment process.

Subdividing rice seed into 4 kg bags makes it more convenient to handle and process.

Why we sterilize our seeds:

The purpose of the sterilization process is to control seed-borne diseases, such as fungus and bacteria.

For instance, "storage fungi," like Aspergillus and Penicillium, which infect rice seeds during storage, hence the name, are controlled during this process.

Non-organic and non-natural rice farmers often utilize chemicals such as Dithane M-45 and Benlate fungicides.

Natural farmers may avoid this by carrying out the Hot Water Treatment process.

Below is an image of the machine used for Hot Water Treatment.

Hot water treatment:

Hinohikari seeds are soaked for 10 minutes in a hot water bath at 60 degrees Celsius (Mochi is soaked in the hot water bath for 6 minutes also at 60 degrees).

(It is crucial that the seeds remain dry before sterilization treatment to avoid a significantly longer process time!)

When the timer runs out, the machine beeps, and the rice seeds are promptly removed and transferred to a cool water bath.

The seeds are cooled before being placed in a germinator.

In our case, the hot water bath machine also serves as a germinator.

to be continued...

Seed Selection