Photoperiodic flowering in rice

Abstract

Rice (Oryza saliva L.) is a staple food for humans, especially in Asian countries, and it feeds about half of the world’s population. During domestication and recent breeding programs, flowering-time responses have diversified in rice due to adaptation to cultivation styles in local areas. For instance, early-flowering and photoperiod-insensitive cultivars have been developed for cultivation in northern Japan. In contrast, to prolong vegetative phases and increase yields, late-flowering cultivars with weak photoperiod sensitivity are preferred in some tropical areas, such as Taiwan.