Why would dormancy be necessary outside of suboptimal conditions?

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You're asking questions that would need to be solved by detailed research projects. Sounds like you could earn a PhD if you pursue these questions.

[RiverbankMudlark]

True, though I imagine for ecological reasons such research projects on other plants probably already exist and are being conducted right now. Changing climates probably mess with the normal dormancy of plants in their own native environments.

While I don't believe it had to do with dormancy (and I don't even know if rice has a dormancy), I vaguely remember reading something about a study that found warmer growing seasons were causing bigger yields of rice, but it held less nutrients.

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If research doesn't promise millions of dollars in returns, it doesn't get funded. No funding agency is interested in pure knowledge.