Paper Title
The Iron Content Of Traditional And Purple Thai Rice Varieties Under Acid-Soil Condition

Abstract
This study investigated the iron content and the yield of traditional and purple rice varieties under the acid-soil condition. The samples included three improved (Riceberry, Jao Hom Nin and Sinlek) and one native (Mali Daeng) varieties containing high iron content. The experiment was conducted in farmers� fields in Theppharat Subdistrict, Ban Pho District, Chachoengsao Province, Thailand, having the soil pH of 4-5. The iron content in the unmilled grains was 2.196, 1.469, 3.817 and 1.524 mg/100 g grains for Riceberry, Jao Hom Nin, Sinlek and Mali Daeng, respectively. The iron content in the polished grains was 4.407, 0.936, 1.216 and 10.631 mg/100 g grains, respectively. Sinlek had the highest unmilled-grain iron content among the four varieties, while Mali Daeng had the highest polished-grain iron content. Cluster analysis divided the iron content of the four rice varieties into three groups each for both unmilled and milled grains. Sinlek and Mali Daeng were among the high-iron-content varieties for unmilled and polished rice, respectively. Riceberry constituted the medium-iron-content group, while Jao Hom Nin was among those having the lowest iron content. The result showed that the four rice varieties could produce reasonable yield in acid soil and that Mali Daeng showed a potential as a nutritional, alternative food with high iron content. Index Terms- iron content, purple rice, traditional rice, acid soil