FIGURE 2.

Rice life cycle. The life cycle of rice begins with a seed. The hull is a protective coat of the seed. Endosperm is the starchy part. Both the starch and protein are the determining factor of seed dry weight and seed size. The embryo consists of the precursor tissues of leaves, coleoptile/mesocotyl and roots, and forms the rice seedling. The coleoptiles and mesocotyls play a pivotal role for rice seedling emerging from soil. The roots anchor the plant and absorb nutrients from the soil. The tillering stage is also referred to the late vegetable stage. At this stage, a number of reproductive stems will grow and ultimately produce a set of flower heads, which are referred to spikes. After pollination, the flowers will form seeds. In the rice panicle, superior-spikelets that anthered earlier produce better filling grains than the inferior-spikelets.