Among monocotyledonous plants, especially cereals, rice is a model system for the study of branching patterns. The plasticity of tiller dynamics is associated with agronomic management in complex ways and is essential for not only survival but also the determination of the grain yield of rice plants. However, how plant architecture changes with tiller dynamic plasticity and how plant architecture interacts with agroecological adaptation are unclear. Controlling tiller dynamics to increase rice yield by manipulating agronomic inputs in various environments has been tested very often. Still, the objective of obtaining designer rice plants with tiller numbers appropriate for the environment has rarely been achieved. The grain yield margin can improve by as much as 40% via the regulation of tiller dynamics. In rice agroecology, dry and wet conditions of the paddy fields alternately increase tiller number and yield significantly. Also, the application of organic and inorganic fertilizers improves tiller number and yield. However, tiller production above resource capacity is corrected by the senescence of late tillers. Identification of genetic markers of tiller production and survival is essential for designer rice.