Grain quality of rice at dry planting seasons in Muara Tami district, Jayapura city

The determining factors for the acceptance of new superior varieties are rice productivity and grain quality. However, the quality factor of rice is rarely a concern, even though the quality of the rice grain will determine the price. This study aimed to evaluate the physical grain quality of the six new superior rice varieties planted during dry planting seasons in Muara Tami, Jayapura. The materials used were rice varieties of Inpari 34, Inpari 43, Inpago 8, Inpago 11, Inpago 12, Inpara 8, and Mekongga. The grain quality was evaluated using the IRRI standard evaluation system (SES) and SNI 6128:2015. The results showed that the variety affected grain length, grain width, length-width ratio, whiteness, translucency, milling degree, the percentage of head rice, percentage of broken rice, percentage of groats, the percentage of chalky grain, the percentage of yellow grain, yield of brown rice, and the percentage of foreign matter. Inpari 43 contained the highest percentage of head rice at 71.9%. The percentage of head rice was positively and significantly correlated with grain length, length-width ratio, and translucency. However, the percentage of head rice was negatively and significantly different from grain width, the percentage of broken rice, the percentage of groats, and the percentage of foreign matter. This study shows that the selection of varieties affects the physical grain quality of the rice produced.