Wild rice - a potential new crop for Finland

Abstract

Wild rice (Zizania palustris L.), an aquatic grass that grows naturally in lakes and slowly flowing rivers in North America, has been used as a food for thousands of years by some aboriginal tribes. In natural stands, the seeds mature in the autumn and overwinter on the lake bed. They germinate in May, with growth to maturity requiring approximately 100 days. The similarity of growing conditions between North America and Finland suggests that wild rice might succeed in northern Europe. The wild rice plant and the production of both organically grown Canadian wild rice and paddy-grown wild rice in the USA are briefly described in this review article together with the results of preliminary growth trials and an assessment of its agricultural role in Finland.

Nutritional constituents and health benefits of wild rice (Zizaniaspp.)

“…Wild rice is used in a wide variety of gourmet food products. It is usually served as rice or mixed grains in addition to being a component of soups, breakfast cereals, muffins, or salads . Wild rice is an expensive gourmet food, especially the naturally grown Canadian wild rice.…”

“…It is usually served as rice or mixed grains in addition to being a component of soups, breakfast cereals, muffins, or salads. 41,45 Wild rice is an expensive gourmet food, especially the naturally grown Canadian wild rice. As noted above, wild rice was recognized as a whole grain by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2006.…”

“…Wild rice is harvested by a method known as “knocking the rice,” whereby traditional fork‐like poles are used to move through the rice beds to minimize harm to the rice plant and its root systems, and lightweight wood sticks are used as a tool to tap the rice grains. Unripe grains that still remain on the stems are left for future harvesting.…”

Domestication, breeding, omics research, and important genes of Zizania latifolia and Zizania palustris

“…The genus Zizania (family Poaceae) is a type of wild rice that includes four species: Z. aquatica , Z. palustris , Z. texana , and Z. latifolia ( Table 1 ) ( Makela et al., 1998 ; Lu et al., 2022 ). Zizania diverged from Oryza approximately 26–30 million years ago (mya), whereas Z. palustris and Z. latifolia diverged from one another approximately 6–8 mya ( Haas et al., 2021 ).…”