What to Do About Rice Panicle Sprouting? Cause Analysis and Prevention Methods
Rice is the most important food crop in China. During the rice harvest, panicle sprouting can occur. This not only affects the quality of the rice but also affects the germination rate of the seeds, leading to poorer quality when sowing the following year and causing economic losses for rice growers. So what causes rice panicle sprouting? Let's find out together.
1. Harm of panicle sprouting
Panicle sprouting affects the quality and yield of rice, generally reducing it by 10%, and it also affects the price of the grain. In addition, during panicle sprouting the weight increases, causing the panicle to be top-heavy and lodge, worsening the lodging. In rainy, humid environments, it also easily induces rice blast, leading to further yield reduction. During harvest, the grains easily fall off, with a loss rate of over 10%. Taking all this together, once panicle sprouting occurs in rice, the yield may be reduced by more than 30%.
2. Variety reasons
Rice panicle sprouting is closely related to the dormancy of the variety. Some varieties have a short dormancy period and are highly prone to sprouting, while varieties with a dormancy period are less likely to sprout. In addition, varieties with a thinner seed coat easily absorb water and sprout, while varieties with a thicker seed coat do not easily absorb water, so they are less likely to sprout.
Prevention method: When planting, adapt to local conditions and choose rice varieties with high yield, strong stress resistance, high quality, and a long dormancy period, which can greatly reduce panicle sprouting.
3. Weather reasons
When rice is about to mature, if it encounters continuous rainy weather, the water absorption rate of the rice will reach more than 24%, which will meet its sprouting conditions. If the temperature at this time exceeds 18 degrees, it will begin to sprout, and the higher the temperature, the faster the sprouting.
Prevention method: Based on climate changes in previous years, reasonably arrange the rice sowing time so that rice heading, flowering, and maturity avoid the rainy season, reducing panicle sprouting. When the environment meets the conditions for panicle sprouting, drain the field promptly after rain to avoid the panicles being soaked in water and prevent later sprouting. If rainy weather is encountered during the maturity period, strengthen inspections. For fields where panicle sprouting is found, harvest early when 85% of the grains are mature to reduce sprouting.
4. Improper management
Some farmers irrigate continuously during the rice grain-filling period, making the field water content high and the humidity relatively high, causing the grains to fill too fully. During the rainy season they do not dry easily, and continued water absorption and expansion makes sprouting very likely.
Prevention method: For water management, use shallow water for tillering and timely, moderate field drying at the mid-stage to prevent rice lodging. During the heading and grain-filling periods, keeping the soil moist is sufficient. Do not deepen the water level, so as to prevent the rice from absorbing too much water.
The above is an introduction to the causes of rice panicle sprouting and prevention methods. We hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please follow us.