Varietal Characteristics and Cultivation Techniques of Rice for Business Use and Feed in the Tohoku Region of Japan

Abstract

The aging and decrease of farmers, the enlargement of management scale and the diversification of rice usage are predicted in Japanese rice cultivation. Branded rice varieties with weak lodging resistance have been cultivated under low fertilization in conventional rice cultivation, to produce low yield but high price rice having good eating quality for household consumption. In contrast, it is effective to cultivate the high yield varieties with strong lodging resistance under high fertilization, to produce low price but high yield rice for business use and feed. The cool climate in the Tohoku region is suitable for producing high yield rice with good appearance and eating quality. By contrast, it reduces the variation of cultivation systems and increases the risk of cool weather damage and blast. In the large scale - agricultural management in the Tohoku region, direct seeding, sparse planting and late transplanting of commercial rice and feed rice is promising since they can be co-planted with the cultivation of branded rice. Thus, we discussed the future direction of breeding and cultivation techniques of rice for business use and feed in the Tohoku region.