What Causes Stunted Rice Seedlings? Cause Analysis and Solutions

Stunted rice seedlings, also known as "sitting stumps," is a fairly common phenomenon during the growth of rice seedlings. It shows up as slow or halted growth of rice seedlings after transplanting, seriously affecting rice yield and quality and causing severe economic losses for farmers. So what causes stunted rice seedlings? How should they be addressed? Let's take a look at the detailed introduction on QinNong.com.

1. High groundwater table

During the growth of rice seedlings, if transplanting is too deep and the seedlings are submerged in deep water for a long time, or if drainage is poor, the soil becomes oxygen-deficient. This strengthens reducing conditions, and the base fertilizer applied breaks down under such conditions, releasing large amounts of hydrogen sulfide, which poisons the rice seedling roots and causes stunted seedlings.

Solution: Drain and remove the toxins in time, dig ditches for drainage, lower the groundwater table, and remove the toxic substances.

2. Excessive application of green manure

When fertilizing, if too much green manure is turned under or turned under too late, the decomposition process also produces large amounts of reducing substances such as hydrogen sulfide and acetic acid. These substances can also poison the rice seedling roots and trigger stunted seedlings.

Solution: Green manure is generally turned under about half a month before sowing, which avoids overlap between the green manure decomposition period and the period when rice seedlings take root and grow. At the same time, the application rate of green manure must be controlled; generally, green manure application should be within 1500 kg per mu. Too large an application rate will release large amounts of toxic substances during decomposition and have the opposite effect.

3. Heavy clay soil

Before planting rice, plots with loose, fertile soil should be selected. If planted in plots with heavy clay soil, the soil particles are fine and dense, and after irrigation the permeability is extremely poor, which also leads to oxygen deficiency in the soil or accumulation of toxic substances, triggering stunted seedlings.

Solution: Before planting, choose plots with coarser soil clods and loose soil. Before planting, plow the soil deeply and strengthen management. When transplanting, the depth should not be too great. Once stunted seedlings caused by soil problems are found, drain in time, loosen the soil, and add water only after permeability has increased.

4. Lack of trace elements

Stunted rice seedlings may also be caused by a lack of certain trace elements; for example, zinc deficiency, potassium deficiency, and phosphorus deficiency can all cause stunted seedlings.

Solution: To determine whether stunted seedlings are caused by the lack of a certain trace element, you must identify it to treat the root cause and increase the application of the corresponding nutrient. When rice is deficient in zinc, the symptoms are dry, withered leaf tips, new leaves that are short and narrow, slow growth, no tillering or very little tillering, and stunted, shortened plants. When deficient in potassium, the symptoms are stagnant growth, dark green leaf color but few tillers, and yellow-brown or reddish-brown spots on the leaves that eventually form streaks; in severe cases, the leaves wither and die. When deficient in phosphorus, the symptoms are dark green new leaves, purple-red lower parts of the leaves, and part of the root system turning brown. As long as you judge according to their respective characteristics, you can treat the root cause. During the rice seedling growth stage, be sure to pay attention to the supply of nitrogen fertilizer to prevent premature aging.

The above is the causes and solutions of stunted rice seedlings brought to you by QinNong.com. That is all for the content on stunted rice seedlings. To learn more about rice, please stay tuned to QinNong.com.