Dwarf plants are useful in research because multiple plants can be grown in a small area. Rice ( Oryza sativa L.) is especially important since its relatively simple genome has recently been sequenced. We are characterizing a gibberellic acid (GA) mutant of rice (japonica cv. ‘Shiokari,’ line N‐71) that is extremely dwarf (20 cm tall). Unfortunately, this GA mutation is associated with poor germination (70%) under aerobic conditions. Neither exogenous GA nor a dormancy‐breaking heat treatment improved germination. However, 95% germination was achieved by germinating the seeds anaerobically, either in a pure N 2 environment or submerged in unstirred tap water. The anaerobic conditions appear to break a mild post‐harvest dormancy in this rice cultivar.