Adaptation activity
In 2010, a number of rice varieties, including the type mainly grown in Saitama Prefecture ‘Sai-no-kagayaki’, rice grains exhibited distinct chalkiness; a condition brought on by higher-than-average temperatures. The Saitama Prefectural Agriculture and Forestry Research Center (now the Saitama Agricultural Technology Research Center) first cultivated the "Sai-no-kizuna" variety in 2003, which was developed over a period of nine years, and officially registered as a variety in 2014. This rice is resistant to pests and less prone to chalkiness. In the Japan Grain Inspection Association’s 2017 Taste Ranking, rice grown in the east of Saitama Prefecture received the highest rating of "Special A".
