Effects of temperature on growth of the rice plant ( Oryza sativa L.) in a controlled environment

I studied how temperature affects early growth, tillering, and spikelet number of the rice plant in artificially-lighted growth rooms. At early growth stages, growth rate increased as temperature rose from 22 to 31°C. During early stages, when growth largely depended on the seed reserve, the temperature quotient for growth rate was about 2. The effects of temperature on growth rate decreased with time. Tillering was more vigorous at high temperatures than at low temperatures. Spikelet number per panicle increased with decreasing temperatures.