HOW CAN WE GET RICE PLANTS TO GROW STRONGER ROOTS?
The first thing is to plant single seedlings, one by one, rather than to plant them together in bunches of 3 or 4 seedlings, or even more, as is usually done. • When several seedlings are planted together, their roots must compete with each other. This is a similar problem for rice plants as when they grow close together with weeds and must compete with them for nutrients, water and sunlight. • It is important, as discussed below, that the seedlings be spaced wide apart, usually at least 25 centimeters from each other, and preferably in a square pattern. This facilitates weeding at the same time it gives the rice more access to sunlight and air above ground. • When the rice plants are set out far from each other, and if the soil conditions are good, their roots will have plenty of space to spread out into, especially when they are not competing with each other. • With wider spacing and with single planting, there will be many fewer plants in a field. Indeed, there may be only 10 or 16
