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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stuttgart, Arkansas » Harry K. Dupree Stuttgart National Aquaculture Research Cntr » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #101559
Title: A UNIFORM, OBJECTIVE, AND ADAPTIVE SYSTEM FOR EXPRESSING RICE DEVELOPMENT.

Author
item COUNCE, PAUL - UNIV OF ARKANSAS
item KEISLING, TERRY - UNIV OF ARKANSAS
item Mitchell, Andrew

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/7/1999
Publication Date: 3/1/2000
Citation: COUNCE, P.A., KEISLING, T.C., MITCHELL, A.J. A UNIFORM, OBJECTIVE, AND ADAPTIVE SYSTEM FOR EXPRESSING RICE DEVELOPMENT.. CROP SCIENCE. 2000. v.40 (2). p.436-443.

Interpretive Summary: Rice plants develop in discrete units in time and space. To manage the rice crop, a system for describing and identifying these discrete units is presented. A growth staging system is proposed that defines four growth stages during seedling development and nine reproductive growth stages based on distinct morphological criteria. This system allows for enhanced communication about rice research results and their application to production practices.

Technical Abstract: Undefined and conflicting descriptions of rice developmental stages make comparison and application of research results difficult. The use of time d after emergence, d after plating, d after flooding, d after anthesis in lieu of developmental stage descriptions is not very meaningful except in controlled environment conditions. Consequently, an objective growth staging system with enumeration adapted to the development of the plant would improve communication among scientists, the farmers and educators. We propose a rice growth staging system with four growth stages during seedling development unimbibed seed, radicle and coleoptile emergence from the seed, and prophyll emergence from the coleoptile, the number of vegetative states equal to the number of completely expanded leaves excluding the prophyll on the main stem and nine reproductive growth stages based on discrete morphological criteria panicle initiation and differentiation, boot stage, panicle exertion, anthesis, grain expansion, grain filling, grain dry down and grain maturity. Assigning rice growth stages based on discrete morphological criteria will result in unambiguous growth stage determination. This is because the system exploits the presence or absence of distinct morphological criteria in a symbolic logic dichotomous framework which only permits yes or no answers. The system, can however, be expanded to fit the needs of various workers to include quantitative criteria if such criteria are needed for certain applications. Consequently, an unequivocal rice growth staging system is presented which is based on objective, morphological criteria and which has enumeration adapted to the rice plants development.