Selection of Suitable Varieties for Organic Rice Farming in the Central Plain Area of Korea

The rice variety Chucheongbyeo is mostly cultivated for organic farming in the central region of Korea. This variety is more delicate than the recently developed varieties in rice yield, quality, and pest resistance, and is therefore, not suitable for organic farming. This study was conducted to select suitable varieties for organic rice farming in the central plain area of Korea. We tested 15 different varieties in the organic paddy field of Cheongju city from 2011 to 2013. As the experimental field had good fertility because it had been organically managed for many years, culm length and number of panicles developed better than the varietal characteristics. Daebo, Chinnong and Hyeonpum had slightly lower ripened grain ratio than Chucheongbyeo. The milled rice yield of Samkwang, Sukwang, Haiami, Cheonghaejinmi and Daebo increased by 9-18% compared to that of Chucheongbyeo. The protein content was under 7% for Cheongnam, Sukwang, Daebo, Samkwang, Hyeonpum, Chinnong, Chilbo, Hopyung, Hwangkeumnuri, Suryeojinmi and Jinsumi and under 6% for Sukwang and Samkwang. The whiteness was over 40 in Sukwang, Daebo, Samkwang and Jinsumi. The palatability grade and head rice ratio were good in Daebo, Sukwang, Samkwang and Jinsumi. Therefore, this study recommended Samkwang, Daebo, and Jinsumi as the optimal varieties for organic rice farming in the central plain area of Korea. These varieties could replace Chucheongbyeo, which is inferior to the recently developed varieties in terms of disease and pest resistance and yielding performance.