Rice plant growth can be divided into three agronomic
phases of development (Figure 2-3):
1. Vegetative (germination to panicle initiation (PI));
2. Reproductive (PI to heading); and
3. Grain filling and ripening or maturation (heading
to maturity).
These stages influence the three yield components:
1) number of panicles per unit land area, 2) the
average number of grain produced per panicle and
3) the average weight of the individual grains. These
three components determine grain yield.
The following descriptions and diagrams characterize
the growth stages for rice plants.