Impact of production practices on physicochemical properties of rice grain quality

BACKGROUND: Rice growers are interested in new technologies that can reduce input costs while maintaining high field yields and grain quality. The bed‐and‐furrow (BF) water management system benefits farmers through decreased water usage, labor, and fuel as compared to standard flood management. Fertilizer inputs can be reduced by producing rice in rotation with soybeans, a nitrogen‐fixing crop, and with the use of slow‐release fertilizers that reduce nitrogen volatilization and run‐off. However, the influence of these cultural management practices on rice physicochemical properties is unknown. Our objective was to evaluate the influence of nitrogen fertilizer source, water management system, and crop rotation on rice grain quality. RESULTS: Grain protein concentration was lower in a continuous rice production system than in a rice–soybean rotation. Neither amylose content nor gelatinization temperature was altered by fertilizer source, crop rotation, or water management. BF water management decreased peak and breakdown viscosities relative to a flooded system. Peak and final paste viscosities were decreased by all fertilizer sources, whereas, crop rotation had no influence on the Rapid Visco Analyser profile. CONCLUSION: Sustainable production systems that decrease water use and utilize crop rotations and slow‐release fertilizers have no major impact on rice physicochemical properties. Published 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.