Upland paddy rice vs Wet paddy rice

Rice BlueBonnet Oryza sativa   
This is a  traditional rice grown by native Mayan people who called it "Blue Bonnet." Collected by Mennonite farmers who have a community near Belmopan, it was given to them by their Mayan neighbors in the town of Armenia, Belize. It is an upland rice variety and  does not need to be flooded. It can be grown in regular garden soil. The rice should be planted in a bed after last frost in rich soil,  5 to 6 inches apart both ways. If planted in rows, the rice should be 2 to 3 inches apart with 1 to 2 feet between plants. It is important to keep the weeds down and keep the soil moist.

Koshihikari Oryza sativa japonica
This is a premium Japanese short grain rice that is distinguished by its aroma, sweet flavor and texture. It is an early maturing semi-dwarf variety that has been grown successfully in the United States since 1991. Dried stalks are beautiful displayed in flower arrangements. Leaves and hulls are rough. It is a warm season annual that can be  planted in late spring to early summer and grown in a flooded paddy. Maturity: Approx. 160 days.

Polyculture in rice growing

Polyculture is a type of agriculture that uses multiple crops in the same space, providing crop diversity in imitation of the diversity of natural ecosystems;  avoiding large stands of single crops, or monoculture.

Many rice growers in Asia grew rice in the early spring when the fields along the valley bottom were still flooded from the spring rain. The water helped control the weeds.  Over the years they  learned to create a complex polyculture with soybeans growing around the fields, fish in the fields as a sort of aquaculture and duck and geese eating weeds and insects before the fields were flooded.

This ecological science design of polyculture gives us an opportunity to use these diverse techniques and incorporate them into a new  adaptable way for us to inhabit the healthy Earth.