Hardening process in the manufacture of rice cakes is the most important process, because it is time-consuming process. We aimed to develop a new cultivar of waxy rice characterized by both high yield and excellent processing properties. For this purpose, the urea dissolution and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods were employed in order to quantitatively assess the factors associated with rice cake hardness. In this study, rice starch dissolution rate and measurement of relative starch crystallinity (RSC) are discussed. Four waxy rice cultivars with different hardening properties were selected as test samples, and pasting properties, hardness, urea dissolution of starch and XRD properties were assessed. It is supposed that dissolution rate and RSC are closely related to rice cake hardening, are suitable parameters for quantifying rice cake hardening, and are useful for predicting the hardness of new novel cultivars. To assess rice cake hardness in novel cultivars, it is important that tests focusing on the determination of different parameters, such as pasting properties, urea dissolution and XRD, be designed.
Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal that is mainly accumulated through the consumption of foods produced in Cd-contaminated fields. Phytoremediation is one of the most effective methods to reduce the soil Cd concentration. In this study, we bred a new rice line, 'Akita 119', for Cd phytoremediation. 'Akita 119' was obtained by a soft X-ray mutation of 'Cho-ko-koku', a naturally high-Cd-accumulating rice cultivar. The heading date of 'Akita 119' was about 2 weeks later than that of 'Akitakomachi', which is the leading cultivar in Akita Prefecture, Japan. 'Akita 119' has a short culm length and many panicles. The shattering resistance and lodging resistance of 'Akita 119' were improved compared to 'Cho-ko-koku'. The thousand-grain weight of 'Akita 119' was much smaller than that of 'Akitakomachi', and grains of 'Akita 119' could be easily distinguished from general japonica cultivars. When 'Akita 119' was grown in Cd-contaminated fields, the shoot dry weight and Cd concentration were similar to those of 'Cho-ko-koku'. These results demonstrate that 'Akita 119' has improved agronomic characteristics compared to 'Cho-ko-koku' while retaining the ability to extract Cd. Therefore, it should be considered a promising candidate for Cd phytoremediation in paddy fields in northern parts of Japan.
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