Looking for an upland rice variety - Moruga Hill Rice

I am always interested in upland rice varieties since in my farm, there is no possibility of standing water for growing rice. Standing water is best for rice since it doesn't allow weeds to grow and also that makes sure there is no moisture stress for plants. 

Recently came across an upland rice variety called Moruga hill rice while surfing internet, and this variety is grown typically Moruga town of Trinidad, a West African country. According to that article, it says, it is fully grown in rainfed conditions in hilly terrain and matures in 90 days and it grows tall. Also typically in earlier days, it is mainly done for household purpose and not for commercial purpose.

https://www.aramcoworld.com/articles/2025/ja25/moruga-hill-rice

According to the above report, seed was brought to Trinidad by West African people who fought with Britain in 1812 again US and they were offered freedom and land in Trinidad. When they came to Trinidad they also bought the upland rice which they were cultivating. This variety is Oryza Glaberrima, different from wet land varieties which is Oryza Zativa. I have tried some of the upland rice varieties from Oryza Zativa, they were not exceptional, so wanted to try how Oryza Glaberrima works in this climate. But the original seed would have gone to US from West Africa in earlier days.

Moruga hill rice can be bought from the following link which is shipped from US. They can ship only to inside US, some body has to bring it to India, that search is going on.

https://trueloveseeds.com/products/hill-rice-south-trinidad

I am trying different methods to get this, anyone reading this can help?

As per history US President Thomas Jefferson was also interested in upland rice as per the following document https://www.monticello.org/encyclopedia/rice

Rajakayama,Arupatham kuruvai,Happy hill and Erumakkari in grow bags

 01-Nov-2026

Some more rice seeds are sown in grow bags, just to keep the seeds. Now a days, seeds are put in cowdung solution for 24 hours and then kept in wet cloth for another 12 hours and when it germinate, seeds are put in grow bag.

Arupatham Kuruvai

Raja kayama

Happy Hill Rice - 2nd Crop at backyard

 07-Oct-2026

First crop of Happy hill was done at the start of good rain and it went OK, even though the yield was not very good. I had put seeds in cowdung in cleaned ground and never mulched. 

This time wanted to have good amount of mulch and put seeds soaked in 24 hours.

08-Oct-2026

Actually it went for 26 hours, took it and kept in wet cloth for 5-6 hours and then removed mulch from the top and broadcasted the seeds, totally there were around 230 seeds.

After removing mulch, soil is moist, but whether seed will germinate with this moisture to be seen. Started this after a heavy rain, but there is no subsequent rains..

After covering with mulch, most of the mulch is from glyricidea, leguminous mulch decompose quickly and hence after 2-3 weeks, seeds can come out through easily.

31-Oct-2026

Glyricidea mulch decomposed too quickly and soil started to expose, hence mulched with some more glyricidea leaves. Also today Stylo santhes Hamata seeds were sown in the gap space. Since soil has many small stones, lots of plants are not having good hold on the soil and they just fall. May be next time, grass mulch has to be tried, may be little decomposed.

No till rice area - maintaining for 2nd crop season

 05-Oct-2026

1st rice crop didn't go well since rain was less and seeds had maturity of 110 days. So just cut the grass using Scythe and put cowpea and lab lab seeds. Without Scythe, cutting this much area wouldn't have been possible. In some area Stylo grass is also growing and also put some more seeds of Stylo grass. Next time, wanted to grow in mulch and also seed which has less duration, may be of 90 days or so. 

Another beautiful soul departed

 At home, we had two cats blackie and techie,they were brought from a house near malampuzha dam after our cat Dundu died. My daughter is fond of cats and after Dundu's death, she contacted some pet shops for cats and one shop owner gave her phone number of a lady who has many cats at home and wanted to relocate couple of them. So we went and collected 2 small kittens. Blackie was female and she was quite healthy and the other one was bit sick and he just sits and does not play much. We thought we will loose him, but he kept the survival fight. Since he does not move much, he used to look to the screen of the mobile and my son named him techie.

During this time, we had a lovely dog pinky and one night when we released for usual routine, she entered the house. Both kittens were inside and Pinky just chased Blackie for a while and came back. Techie was very angry on seeing this and he just went behind the dog and slapped her. We were surprised at his action, that is how, both were very close.

After a while Techie recovered well and grown to a very healthy cat, Blackie was also very healthy. Once Blackie got fever and she was very sick. She was taken to a pet hospital and she recovered well. After that Techie got fever and myself and wife took him to the pet hospital. We have a basket which has holes and he was kept inside and its lid is not very strong, so we tied this using a rope. He is generally obedient and was silent when we drove to the hospital. From the hospital parking I carried the basket and entered the hospital and there was a big patient dog standing there. Techie saw him and got frightened and he pushed the lid and came out and ran to one corner of the hospital. Hospital staff was very quick and they closed the front door and the windows so that he won't go out. Hospital is near a National Highway and if we go out it will be difficult. He was looking paths to go out and my Wife approached him and he just silently sat there. She carried him and put him in the basket and kept away from the view of dog and he was all fine. We were surprised that even at that stage, he just obeyed her. He recovered the fever and all was going fine.

Another story is that, both cats disappeared once, for 2 days they were not seen at all. We were searching here and there and no news about them. Blackie was pregnant and we were worried. One evening we heard cat crying and we found that it is just behind our house there is a hall which is locked normally and opened when there is an event. We got the keys and opened and both were inside, they entered through the air hole, mostly Blackie entered first and she was not able to get out and Techie also entered and he was guarding her. She being pregnant was not able to jump and get out through the same hole.

Both were lovely pets and they never harm you. Techie especially was very loving when we talk to him, he will answer in his own way. He sometimes follow my wife when she goes for a walk on the road in front of the house and he will roll on the road. When dogs come, he will quickly jump to the boundary wall and will sit there watching the dog. When we are away for a day or two, they will be fed by a neighbor aunty. When we normally come back by night, they will be waiting for us in the car porch.

Both of them roam around freely and watchful of dogs. Two weeks back, Techie went to the nearby temple car parking and he was under a car, and it looks like he couldn't get out since there were dogs nearby or it was an electric car and he didn't hear the engine sound. He just ran over by the car, we just lost him. He was such a beautiful and loving cat, Techie, we will miss you.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Fodder grass as mulch

 Fodder grass grows quite fast, and I was thinking that will generate lots of mulch and should be good. But it grows tall around 3 feet and very dense and after cutting, after 15-20 days, grows back to the same height, especially in rainy season. Also wild pigs nest in between, so it has become a threat.

So thought of managing them bit differently. Just kept rows of grass 10 feet apart and all in between grass were uprooted. In the rows added, mexican sunflower and glyricidea also.

Vegetable patch

I have been maintaining a vegetable patch for some time now, this year I am continuing that with few changes. I made long no-till raised beds,and for constant mulching material, planted fodder grass at the sides of each bed, but fodder grass grows very quickly and is a problem to manage and they shade the beds also. This year I changed to for each 2 beds, there are two rows of fodder grass. Although fodder grass mulch takes time to decompose, can not see good plant growth with just that. So added few glyricidea and mexican sunflower along with fodder grass. Mexican sunflower and glyricidea mulch decomposes much quickly. Another thing is that in heavy rain, soil comes back to pathway from beds, so keep piling soil at the base of each plant, once in a while. Soil piling at the base, has got good impact. Typically mulch with mexican flower leaves, after a few days, they will decompose, then a pile soil and then mulch again with fodder grass or mexican sunflower.

This is Mangaluru Oru Vendai, a variety of lady's finger. It is quite productive.

Vengeri brinjal variety

Bird's eye chilli

I get plenty of chillies...

01-Aug-2026

This is a variety called 'mangaluru uru venda', yielding good,and does not mature fast.

31-Oct-2026

Since rain had receded in between chilli plants were affected, now after getting couple of rains, they are flowering again. Instead of raised beds, making some pits so that water stays better. There are 5 dogs, which come and stay with me, especially when the lady worker is around who feed them

Python again

 Myself and Palani was clearing one area for vegetable. After lunch, I came back a bit late and Palani was looking in between grass very keenly and said, it is a Viper snake. He started hitting it, I just said stop and just looked at it and to my surprise it was a python. Not big one, medium sized, never expected a python. Couple of years back, I had sighted one while cutting grass using Scythe and with a help of one person caught it and handed over to Kollengode forest office.

This time I just let it free, even though it was hit twice, it just crawled further to grass and disappeared. If it is sighted once again, may catch and hand it over to forest office.

I just confirmed it with a friend, he checked in chatgpt and it said it is Indian Rock Python and he sent it to a person working in forest and confirmed it is a Python. Felt happy that I could correctly identify it.

Gondharaj Lemon - Fruiting for the first time

 

Gondharaj lemon fruiting for the first time...There are 7 lemons and some more flowers, very eager to taste it. It is supposed to be very fragrant variety and used widly in Bengali Cuisine.I had planted many, lots of them didn't survive the summer and also were overgrown by weeds. I have 3 plants totally.

Happy hill rice in backyard

I have a small patch where I cultivate happy hill rice in every rainy season. This time made it bit lower and raised buds so that water stagnates and never leaves it. Earlier I had used bricks instead of buds, but water used to leake and topsoil was lost.

The patch was growing green gram for 2 months,cut that and mulched it. Yesterday it rained nicely and hence had a feel that monsoon is starting and put some seeds in water. Plan is to soak them for 24 hours and sow. Today there was no rain, if rain recedes again, seeds may be lost, but have enough seeds in the refrigerator.

Mixed soaked rice seeds with cowdung and added little water so that it mixes well. This is just to try, mixing with cowdung and sowing, how it germinates and prevents from insect and bird attack. Earlier once when I sowed rice seeds, ants picked most of them.

24-June-2026

Few rows were not covered with soil, just to see how germination happens

Small channels were made using a sharp tool and then seeds mixed with cowdung was put

09-July-26

Germination was OK, few places couldn't see the saplings and hence transplanted. Applied cowdung slurry once also composted cowdung was spread.

30-July-26

Some rice plants were toppled on heavy rain,right now rains have picked. Surface germination without mulch can cause this. In this plot, either I should surface seed with heavy mulch or should put seed inside the soil,reasonably deep.

26-Sept-2026

Harvested the rice,yield was not good, but the crop completed the cycle, with just rain water. There were some rice seeds which were not completely ready. Wanted to put next seeds with rain, so harvested bit early.

Stylosanthes Hamata in Kollengode,Palakkad

 Today I went with family to a temple called Kachamkurichi in Kollengode,Palakkad and on the way back to a view point where a good view of the mountain and paddy fields at the base is seen. Even at June 21st, there is no monsoon rain established in this part of Kerala while other districts are receiving reasonably good rain. Paddy fields are waiting for the rain, and some people have sown paddy and it is growing.

When we got down at the view point, was surprised to see a familiar  plant and that looks to be Stylosanthes Hamata. I was not sure how it came there, but it is not there on the road side or some other nearby area.

It has established well, and was a beautiful sight to see..

I had posted these photos in two WhatsApp groups, just to see if anyone recognizes that. To my surprise two people responded, saying they know Stylo grass,is a good cattle feed and nitrogen fixer and prevent erosion. Those responses in Malayalam is given here...

By Binojkumar of Jaivasamrakshnasamithi

ചിത്രത്തിൽ കാണുന്ന ചെടി സ്റ്റൈലോസാന്തസ് (Stylosanthes) എന്ന വിഭാഗത്തിൽപ്പെട്ട ഒന്നാണ്. കേരളത്തിൽ ഇത് പൊതുവായി സ്റ്റൈലോ പുല്ല് (Stylo grass) എന്ന പേരിൽ അറിയപ്പെടുന്നു.

​ഇതിന്റെ പ്രധാന സവിശേഷതകൾ താഴെ പറയുന്നവയാണ്:

​രൂപഘടന: നീളമേറിയ മൂന്ന് ചെറിയ ഇലകൾ വീതമുള്ള കൂട്ടങ്ങളും (Trifoliate leaves), അറ്റത്തായി വിരിയുന്ന ചെറിയ മഞ്ഞപ്പൂക്കളും ഇതിന്റെ പ്രത്യേകതയാണ്.

​ഉപയോഗം: കന്നുകാലികൾക്ക് വളരെ ഗുണപ്രദമായ, പ്രോട്ടീൻ സമ്പന്നമായ ഒരു തീറ്റപ്പുല്ലാണിത്. തരിശുഭൂമികളിലും വഴിയോരങ്ങളിലും ഒക്കെ ഇത് പടർന്നു വളരാറുണ്ട്.

​മണ്ണിന്റെ ഗുണം: മണ്ണിൽ നൈട്രജന്റെ അളവ് വർദ്ധിപ്പിക്കാനും (Nitrogen fixation) മണ്ണൊലിപ്പ് തടയാനും ഈ ചെടി സഹായിക്കുന്നു.

By Gopichandran of Jaivabhoomi

സെററല്ലാ ഹമാറ്റ, എന്ന പേരിലറിയപ്പെടുന്ന വിദേശ ഇനം ചെടി. ചില ദിക്കിൽ പയർ പുല്ല് എന്ന് പറയും. കന്നുകാലികൾ ആർത്തിയോടെ തിന്നും. ചില ദിക്കിൽ മുയൽ പുല്ലേ എന്ന് പറയും. മുയലിനും ഇഷ്ടം. അന്തരീക്ഷ നൈട്രജൻ വലിച്ചെടുക്കുന്ന ഒന്നാംതരം ചെടി. ചെരിവുള്ള സ്ഥലങ്ങളിൽ നട്ടുപിടിപ്പിച്ചാൽ മണ്ണൊലിപ്പ് ഉണ്ടാവില്ല. ചില റബ്ബർ തോട്ടങ്ങളിൽ കണ്ടിട്ടുണ്ട്.

Glyricidea and other native tree saplings

I have been planning to grow glyricidea and other native tree saplings in the farm just to bring more and more shade. I can see that without shade, grown crops find it difficult to manage in summer. Now a days, in this area summer is harsh and rain has been reduced.

I bought some glyricidea seeds from amazon and also collected some seeds from farm and from road side and has been growing them. When rain pickup it will be planted in the farm. Glyricidea saplings from seeds has been doing good so far, they are drought tolerant and fights summer nicely. I have been growing them in plastic cups which costs around 6-7/ indian rupees, and this can be used for at least 4-5 years.

I should be growing them from February onwards so that they can be transplanted at the start of rainy season.

Minimum till rice cultivation

I have kept a field which has not been ploughed for the last 5 years now. I had kept some plastic sheets on this to keep the weeds away, but it was not covering the full field and hence had to keep it moving to different areas. But it made weeds less and made the work of cleaning the grass easy. One male labor and one female labor cleaned the area which is 0.1 acre. Male person cleaned it using spade and kept the weeds at the side. Initially I thought cutting and keeping the weeds using sickle is best, but later spade showed to be a better tool.

Kayama seeds of 2Kg were put in water for 24 hours...Rain had receded, but hoping that it will rain in one or 2 days, seeds were sown. Since plastic sheet was put cleaning was easier. Using a sharp tool, lines were marked and seeds were put and cowdung slurry was poured. This makes seeds invisible to peacocks and also ants does not pick them. On a single day, complete sowing process was completed and one day clearing process was completed. 

I was happy that in 0.1 acre land, we can comfortably do all the work to sow the rice seeds in 2 days, 1 day for clearing and 1 day for sowing. Manual weed control also is possible to some extend if the seeds are sown in lines.

23-June-2026

Rain didn't come as expected, hence seeds didn't germinate well, only in a few places it came up. So waiting for rain is of no use, sowing for rice is best done when rain is established well, especially when sowing soaked seeds. If sowing directly, it has to be under soil or it should be seedball and should be done in between April mid and May 1st, so that seeds come up with first rain, in this case it should be minimum 5-6 months duration crop so that they have enough time to recover from in between dry spells. 

1-July-26

Got few good rains, hence started putting seeds again...Since grass was growing, had to cut the grass using spade and removed it. 2 women and 1 man worked. This time got some cowdung and mixed with seeds and just put one portion by portion. It was sticking to hand, hence workers added some more water. But the speed was less and also they were saying they are not getting a feel of how much to put. Ideally there should be 5-6 seeds in each portion. But the amount of seed used was more 1 kg of Chuvanna Modan seed was not suffice for the small field.

In the bigger one, Kasarkode 2kgs were used and since mixing with cowdung was taking more time, just put the seeds after making small channels with the sharp tool. Just putting the seeds they were covering it nicely. Both Kasarkode and Chuvanna Modan had been soaked in water for 24 hours and then used.

06-July-26

Chuvanna Modan didn't germinate well or some birds picked it. Actually it was not covered with soil, I thought, since it is inside cowdung, no covering is needed. But with rain cowdung easily washed away and seeds were out side. But couple of days before when I went, I could see seeds germinated in lots of places. So planning to put another seed here.

In 0.1 acre in lots of places it has germinated, but there are big gaps. Luckily balance seed was put in place together, this can be transplanted back.