[Zeuceone]

Originally Posted by whitecivicsi

Rice is a keystone of the grass family that produces a vast number of grains consumed by humans. It has been under intensive cultivation originating in Asia for over 4,000 years and has since spread across the world, where almost a third of the population depends on rice for vital nutrition. Rice is in the genus Oryza, which is separate from that of wheat, spelt, and similar grass crops, although it resembles them in structure.

Rice, like most grasses cultivated for human consumption, is an annual crop that needs to be resown for harvest each year. Rice is grown in partially submerged fields, also called paddies, and when mature, the plant reaches a height of approximately three feet (one meter). Rice has a classically grass-like appearance, with a small cluster of kernels at the top of a long stalk. Rice is harvested when it turns golden, and the resulting crop is threshed to remove the hulls. Many developing nations use the chaff of rice as fuel for electricity generation.