Lower-Than-Expected Floret Sterility of Rice under Extremely Hot Conditions in a Flood-Irrigated Field in New South Wales, Australia

• DOI: 10.1626/pps.17.245
• Publication Date: 2014-08-21T23:54:40Z
• Authors: Tsutomu Matsui; Kazuhiro Kobayasi; Hiroshi Nakagawa; Mayumi Yoshimoto; Toshihiro Hasegawa; Russell Reinke; John Angus
• Keywords: Panicle; Anthesis; Microclimate

Rice florets are susceptible to high-temperature damage at anthesis, but rice production remains stable in the Riverina region of Australia even when air temperature during flowering exceeds 40°C. To identify mechanism that supports under these conditions, we examined sterility and pollination relation microclimate panicle an extremely hot paddy field New South Wales. In windy > 40°C weather, was 38°C windward edge crop around 35°C inside crop, probably because strong transpirational cooling due dry wind (15% RH). Pollen from showed poor germination, yet sufficient germination for fertilization. Moreover, significantly lower than edge. We concluded with large vapor pressure deficit enabled extreme heat flowering.