Oryza glaberrima

African rice is a special plant.

It grew in West Africa long ago. People began growing it 3,000 years ago. It has a yummy nutty taste.

This rice is very strong. It can grow in dry soil. It can also grow in deep water. It can even fight off bugs.

Some rice grains are small and pear-shaped. The hulls can be green or black. The inside can be red.

Many people still love to eat it. It is a healthy choice for food.

It is a very helpful plant.

African rice is a very special plant.

People first began growing it 3,000 years ago. It grew near the Niger River in West Africa. This rice is very hardy. That means it is strong and tough. It can grow in dry soil or deep water. It can even grow in poor soil. It fights off pests and many diseases.

This rice has a unique taste. Many people say it has a nutty flavor. Some grains are small and pear-shaped. The hulls can be green or black. The inside of the grain can be red.

In West Africa, this rice is still important. It makes up about 20% of the rice grown there. Many farmers prefer it because it is healthy. It is often used to make Ofada rice. It is different from Asian rice. Asian rice grows more food, but it is not as tough. Scientists even made a new type called NERICA. This is a cross between African and Asian rice.

African rice is a special kind of plant called Oryza glaberrima.

It is one of only two types of rice that people grow. This plant is very hardy, which means it is very tough. It can grow in many different places. It survives in dry soil or very deep water. It even grows well in poor soil or places with too much iron.

This toughness makes it a great choice for West African farmers.

There is a specific way this rice works to stay strong. The plant has very thick growth that smothers weeds. This helps it win the fight for space and food. It also resists many pests and diseases. These include things like the African rice gall midge and the rice stripe necrosis virus.

Some varieties grow very fast in deep water. They can also be planted directly on high ground. This means farmers do not always have to move small seedlings by hand.

Humans first began growing this rice about 3,000 years ago. It was first domesticated in the inland delta of the Upper Niger River. This area is in the country we now call Mali.

From there, it spread across West Africa. It has even been found near the Zanzibar Archipelago on the east coast. Long ago, the Sahara was much wetter than it is today. As the land dried out, this rice likely became more dependent on humans for water.

African rice has many unique features. The grains are often small and shaped like a pear. They can have reddish bran or green and black hulls.

Many people love it because it has a distinct nutty flavor. In places like Nigeria, it is used to make Ofada rice. It is very healthy and full of nutrition. While Asian rice produces more food, African rice is often preferred for its taste. It makes up about 20% of the rice grown in West Africa.

This rice has traveled all over the world. It was brought to the Americas during the transatlantic slave trade. It arrived in Brazil around the 1550s. It reached the United States in 1784. Enslaved farmers brought the skills needed to grow it. Because it can grow in salty water, it worked well on coastal deltas. Today, scientists use its genes to help make new types of rice. They created NERICA, which is a cross between African and Asian rice.

Oryza glaberrima, commonly known as African rice, is one of only two domesticated rice species in the world.

While it is a major crop, it is often overshadowed by the higher-yielding Asian rice, known as Oryza sativa. In West Africa, African rice accounts for approximately 20% of commercially grown rice. This species is highly valued for its resilience and distinct nutty flavor. It remains a vital part of local diets and cultures, even as newer varieties become more common.

The plant possesses unique biological mechanisms that allow it to thrive in difficult environments. It exhibits profuse vegetative growth, which helps the plant smother competing weeds. African rice is notably resistant to several pests and diseases. These include the African rice gall midge, parasitic nematodes, and the rice stripe necrosis virus. It also resists the parasitic plant known as Striga. Furthermore, the plant can survive in soils with iron toxicity or low fertility. It is highly adapted to both drought and deep-water conditions. Some varieties even grow rapidly when submerged to survive short floods.

There are many different types of African rice, often categorized by their physical traits. The plants are generally tall, though some floating varieties can grow even higher. These floating types may branch and grow new roots from higher nodes on the stem. The grains are typically small and pear-shaped with reddish bran. The hulls can range in color from green to black. Some cultivars are named for their specific textures, such as aspera, which means "rough." Others include varieties like rigida, meaning "rigid," or rustica, meaning "coarse."

History shows that humans likely domesticated this species independently of Asian rice. The domestication of Oryza glaberrima occurred about 3,000 years ago. This process began in the inland delta of the Upper Niger River, located in modern-day Mali.

As the Sahara region became drier over time, the wild ancestor, Oryza barthii, retreated. This climate shift likely forced the rice to rely more on human irrigation. From the Niger River, the crop spread throughout West Africa and even reached the Zanzibar Archipelago.

African rice has a significant history involving global movement. During the transatlantic slave trade, the rice was brought to the Americas. It arrived in Brazil around the 1550s and reached the United States by 1784. Enslaved farmers brought both the seeds and the specialized knowledge required to cultivate it. Because African rice tolerates brackish, or salty, water, it was well-suited for coastal deltas. In the United States, the heirloom cultivar Carolina Gold became quite popular. This variety was eventually lost during the American Civil War.

Cultivating African rice presents specific challenges regarding yield and processing. One major issue is shattering, which occurs when grains fall from the plant naturally. On average, about half of the grains in some varieties can be lost this way. However, if farmers bag the rice heads before they are ripe, the yield can match that of Asian rice. The grains are also more brittle than Asian varieties. This means they are more likely to break during industrial polishing. Despite these issues, many farmers prefer it for its nutritional content and taste. In Nigeria, it is specifically used to produce Ofada rice.

Modern science is now attempting to combine the strengths of both rice species. For many years, crossbreeding between African and Asian rice was very difficult. The offspring of these crosses were often rarely fertile. However, scientists developed the NERICA program, which stands for "New Rice for Africa." Using techniques like embryo rescue, researchers created over 3,000 crosses during the 1990s. These NERICA cultivars aim to combine the disease resistance of African rice with the high yields of Asian rice. While results have been mixed, this work connects ancient agricultural traditions with modern genomic science.