Rice plant
Rice plant
A short, fast-growing crop that yields small edible grains. Its great nutritional output and ease of cultivation has made it the economic core of many great civilizations. While rice grows quickly, it is sensitive to soil fertility and will not fare well in poor soil.
Base Stats
Stat Modifiers
Rice plants are sensitive to soil fertility and will grow much faster than other plants when in extremely fertile soil. In a hydroponics basin with ideal light and temperature, growth rate reaches 230%, compared to ~150% of other plants. However, if planted in soil with less than 100% fertility, such as gravel, a rice plant may randomly die during growth and only a small percentage survive long enough to harvest. When fully grown, a rice plant yields up to 7 rice.
Rice is a quick, low risk crop to quickly establish a colony's food supply. The short grow time is ideal for limited growing seasons and avoiding events that destroy crops. The main strength is however their greatest downside- colonists must harvest and replant fields every 5-6 days. When a decent sized rice field can take 2 days to plant and 2 days to harvest, growers will be left with little time to contribute elsewhere. Rice growing in rich soil or hydroponics will be highly productive at the cost of being a full time job for growers. Invest in rice to deal with a crisis when manpower is not an issue, but consider more labor efficient crops when the opportunity presents itself.