Rice Research in South Asia through Ages 1

Abstract

Domestication of rice (Oryza sativa; vrihi – Sanskrit; arise – Tamil) that occurred more than 8000 years ago led to a series of developments in rice culture over millennia, making it the most important food item for more than half of the world’s population. Compared to the documented information on rice culture of China, information on rice culture in South Asia is scanty. We are able to find information on rice culture covering the last 5000 years in Vedas, Samhitas, Puranas, Buddhist and Jain literature, Kautilya’s Arthasastra, Krishi-Parashara, Kashyapiyakrishisukti, Watt’s “A dictionary of the economic products of India”, and a few others. Archaeological research also throws considerable light on rice culture. Farmers and intellectuals of many succeeding generations to innovate, develop, and adopt practices and technologies carried out empirical research on rice. Aspects such as (i) selection of phenotypically similar seeds suitable for a given region and for specific purposes; (ii) selection of soils and preparing them for growing broadcast, line-sown, or transplanted crop; (iii) innovative nursery management; (iv) organic topdressing; (v) weed management; (vi) water management at different stages of crop growth and at maturity; and (vii) harvesting, threshing, and storage were worked out and fine-tuned to the local needs. Extending over millennia, several thousand varieties were developed through selection. These included varieties based on differences in the size, shape, color, cooking quality, fragrance, taste, etc. Empirical research also led to claims of medical properties of rice types that need investigation. Processing of the harvested grains into food was worked out. This paper briefly highlights the knowledge of rice culture gained, especially in the last three millennia in South Asia and lists a few research areas that need serious attention. The word “science” was included in English language in the 14 th century AD, from the Latin word scientia, which means having knowledge. Webster’s Collegiate dictionary defines “scientific method” as “Principles and procedures for the systematic pursuit of knowledge involving the recognition and formulation of a problem, the collection of data through observation and experiment, and the formulation and testing of hypotheses.” Empirical science then is having knowledge through “experience or observation alone without due regard for system or theory”. Present-day scientists would feel comfortable if we qualify that the rice research carried out by our ancestors in the ancient and medieval