Determining the Physical Characteristics of Paddy Rice
       
  What causes cracked grains and how does this affect the quality of paddy rice?  
  Calculate the impact of cracked grains on paddy rice quality and perform a procedure for determining the percentage of cracked grains in a paddy rice sample.  
     
Are cracked grains bad?
  

Cracked grains are the single largest contributor to rice breakage during milling which reduces head rice yields! So yes, having cracked grains in your paddy rice is very undesirable.

  
What causes cracked grains?
   As you have learned, the optimal stage to harvest grain is at about 20-24% grain moisture content or 30 days after flowering. If the harvest is late, the chances of paddy rice developing cracked grains during the drying and threshing processes is increased. Cracked grains can also occur when moisture is reapplied to dried grain.

  
   
Time (harvesting the crop too late) and the addition of moisture after the paddy rice has dried are the two main causes of cracked grains.
 

To view the procedure and accompanying worksheet for measuring the amount of cracked grains in a sample of paddy rice, click here.

  
Next lesson
   In the next lesson, you will learn the procedure for measuring the percentage of immature grains in a sample of paddy.