Summary and conclusion
One of the common causes of the death of the lower leaves in the tropics is a deficiency in light energy. The death of leaves from light deficiency results from the weakening of the leaves as a result of a decrease in their photosynthetic capacity, poor retention of nutrients, and decomposition of proteins which results in ammonia accumulation.
Rice yields decrease under mutually shaded conditions. The removal of the lower leaves is less harmful than shading them. This indicates that their death under mutually shaded conditions may be advantageous. It is obvious, however, that the use of genetic materials or cultural practices which would allow the lower leaves to function normally until the plant approaches maturity would be highly desirable. Such materials and procedures would clearly involve reduced leafiness and the harmful effects of mutual shading.
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A portion of the master's thesis of S. A. Navasero submitted to the Graduate School, University of the Philippines.
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Navasero, S.A., Tanaka, A. Low-light-induced death of lower leaves of rice and its effect on grain yield. Plant Soil 25, 17–31 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01347958
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01347958