anthesis and maturity. For PI, the
apices of four tillers were dissected and the panicle
was considered initiated when a white feathery cone
1.0-1.5 mm in length was observed. According to
Lilley and Fukai (1994), this takes place about 7
days after bract differentiation for the cultivar used
in the present experiment. The date of anthesis was
recorded as that on which about 75% of the plants
had full head exertion. The plants were considered
mature when more than 90% of the filled spikelets
had turned yellow and hard