Oryza sativa
Origin: Japan
Improvement status: Cultivar
Seeds per packet: ~60
Germination tested 11/2024: 94%
Life cycle: Annual
This little-known Japanese rice variety came to us via John Sherck, who got it from Wild Folk Farm in Maine. It is a cold-tolerant, short-grained brown rice. It takes about 110 days to mature after transplanting. The seed-heads are awnless, making for easier threshing. Despite being traditionally grown as a lowland variety, in a rice paddy, it is also well-adapted for dryland cultivation, so long as the soil stays relatively moist during the growing season. Dusty grew this rice for us in 2020 in Minnesota without irrigation, except while getting the plants established (and only then because of a dry spell). We think this is a rice with great potential in many parts of the US.
