Deepwater Rice - Brian Taylor

The deepwater rice farmer's year - 6 - kneeing and flowering

As the water level falls kneeing at the last stem node keeps the stem apices vertical.	Flowering begins - the DWR plants are photoperiod sensitive and flower in response to shortening daylength. The varieties grown in the shallowest parts of the beel flower first - the photoperiod response is accurate at the minutes level.

Despite the tangle of stems as the DWR falls down with the dropping water levels, all the terminals are clear of the mass.	The fields now resemble ordinary rice - with only the flowering heads standing up.

Kneeing is dramatically shown, here at Joydebpur in a shallowly flooded field (perhaps 1-1.5 m of maximum flood).	Some fields are ready for harvest, most of this beel, near Faridpur, is still under water (18 October 1982).

DWR harvest time

©2000 - Brian Taylor CBiol FIBiol FRES
11, Grazingfield, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7FN, U.K.
Visiting Academic in the Department of Life Science, University of Nottingham

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