Spacing of plants
Proper spacing can increase grain yield. It minimizes shading and regulates the utilization of solar radiation for photosynthesis.
Let's see which factors determine the right plant spacing:
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Variety is the first factor that determines plant spacing. Regardless of the season, tall, leafy, heavy tillering, and susceptible to lodging rice varieties should be placed farther apart than short, lodging-resistant, and photoperiod-insensitive varieties.
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Season is the second factor. Plant the seedlings closer during the dry months, when solar radiation is higher, than during the rainy or wet season. Plants become more vegetative during the wet season. This increases mutual shading.
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Soil fertility is the third factor. Plant the seedlings farther apart in fertile soil and closer in poor soil. Distance prevents mutual shading in fertile soil, while plants grown in poor soil tend to have tillers, thus, they can be planted closer together.
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With the factors contributing to good yields, we advise that tall, leafy, heavy-tillering varieties are spaced:
During the dry season: 25 by 25 cm in relatively poor soil, 30 by 30 cm in fertile soil.
During the wet season: 30 by 30 cm in relatively poor soil, 35 by 35 cm in fertile soil.
Place the short, lodging resistant, and photoperiod-insensitive varieties at 20 by 20 cm regardless of season. However, desirable spacing in less fertile soils must be at 20 by 15 cm or 20 by 10 cm.
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