The best ideas in science are often so simple that, once they are conceived, it is hard to imagine why nobody thought of them before. This appears to be the case with a proposal to change the height of the rice plant’s panicles in the canopy. The panicles are the parts of the rice plant that bear the spike lets, which in turn form the grain. The yield of the rice plant depends on the amount of starch that fills the grains. This in turn depends primarily on the process of photosynthesis occurring in the leaves. Photosynthesis requires sunlight as a source of energy. But the architecture of rice plants places the panicles high in the canopy, which some of the leaves, paradoxically, are in the shade and thus obviously not in the best position for maximum photosynthesis to occur. This is true not only of traditional rice plants, but also of modern cultivars had two serious faults. What was needed was to lower the panicles in the canopy so they no longer shaded the leaves.
When the yields are increased on a plant with panicles high in the canopy, the extra weight of the grains causes the plant s to fall over (lodge), especially when it rains and the wind blows. But if the panicles were lowered, this tendency would be reduced because the center of gravity of the plant would be lowered.
When the yields are increased on a plant with panicles high in the canopy, the extra weight of the grains causes the plant s to fall over (lodge), especially when it rains and the wind blows. But if the panicles were lowered, this tendency would be reduced because the center of gravity of the plant would be lowered.
