What to Do When Rice Has Too Many Tillers? Latest Solutions

Rice tillering is the most critical stage in the rice growth process, and it is directly related to rice yield. However, if rice has too many tillers, it will cause excessive rice density, affect large panicles, and lead to pest and disease outbreaks and lodging. So what should be done when rice has too many tillers? Let us learn about it together.

1. Drainage and Field Drying

If too many rice tillers are found, the first step is to drain the water and dry the field in time. This not only effectively controls ineffective tillering, but also promotes rice root development, which is beneficial for nutrient uptake later and lodging resistance. The standard for drying the field is that the leaves turn slightly yellow. After drying is done, water should be added in time, and the water layer should be kept at 3-5 cm, which can effectively promote the production of effective tillers.

2. Reasonable Topdressing

When nitrogen fertilizer is applied excessively or only nitrogen fertilizer is applied, rice will produce a large number of ineffective tillers. Therefore, when topdressing at the jointing and booting stage of rice, nitrogen fertilizer should be used as little as possible or not at all. Topdressing should mainly be potassium fertilizer, which can promote thick and strong stems and is beneficial to the formation of large panicles. The timing of topdressing should also be controlled well, generally 15-20 days before rice heading, with about 15 kg of potassium chloride applied per mu.

3. Weeding

Weeding is best carried out when rice is at the 2-4 leaf stage. If weeds in the field are not removed in time, they will affect the normal growth of rice. In addition to reducing rice tillering, they may also worsen pests and diseases, especially because some pathogens parasitize weeds and can then spread on a large scale. Moreover, once disease occurs during the tillering stage, it will also lead to abnormal tillering, so weeding is very important.

4. Pest and Disease Control

Too many rice tillers will reduce field ventilation and light penetration, causing the field to become closed and thereby triggering some pests and diseases. Therefore, pest and disease control should be done well, especially for sheath blight, rice planthoppers, and stem borers, which should be controlled as key targets.

The above is an introduction to solutions for excessive rice tillering. We hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please keep following us.