Straighthead in Australian rice crops (May 2014)

Dunn, T Troldahl, D Fowler, J

2014

Straighthead is a ‘physiological’ disorder of rice which causes floret sterility and reduced grain yield. The symptoms are only obvious at panicle emergence and it is often confused with cold induced sterility, particularly in less severe cases.
Although there is no known cause of straighthead it is thought to be related to soil conditions induced by permanent flooding. It is not seed borne or transmitted around the farm.