Role of plant height in the submergence tolerance of rice: A simulation analysis using an empirical model

This study explored how plant height increment as a measure of growth affected the interaction between submergence tolerance and hydrographic conditions, and also examined which growth stages were the most sensitive and the most tolerant to flash floods using an empirical simulation model. The factors affecting submergence yield losses in the model were assumed to be the start date, the duration, and the depth of submergence. The duration and depth of submergence were calculated from simple hydrographic factors and plant height. The increment of plant height affected both submergence avoidance and the duration of submergence. It appeared that the yield losses of rice plants that were submerged in the early vegetative phase exceeded the losses of plants submerged in the reproductive phase under almost all hydrographic conditions. The results indicate that plants submerged at the end of the vegetative phase had robustness to yield losses, and that the growth stage immediately following transplanting was the most sensitive.