The first sign that the rice plant is getting ready to enter its reproductive phase is a bulging of the leaf stem that conceals the developing panicle, called the ‘booting’ stage. Then the tip of the developing panicle emerges from the stem and continues to grow. Rice is said to be at the ‘heading’ stage when the panicle is fully visible. Flowering begins a day after heading has completed. As the flowers open they shed their pollen on each other so that pollination can occur. Flowering can continue for about 7 days.