QTLs associated with early tillering and leaf development in rice were mapped using a doubled-haploid (DH) population derived from a cross between lowland indica variety, IR64 and upland japonica variety, Azucena. Age-specific measures on number of tiller and leaves, recorded seven days interval, starting from 16th day of sowing, were used to detect the QTLs associated with tillering and leaf development during early period of growth following dynamic approach to QTL mapping in conjunction with a novel QTL mapping technique termed as ‘conditional mapping’. Altogether five QTLs for early tillering and six QTLs for leaf development were detected. The QTLs varied according to age-specific observations with not a single QTL for both the traits appearing consistently over the growing period. QTLs for both the traits were detected first time at 23 days after sowing. Conditional mapping technique allowed detection of one QTL each for the traits that remained undetected by conventional mapping technique. For all the QTLs, the alleles from the superior parent IR64 had the positive effect on both the traits. The estimated locations of several QTLs detected for tiller and leaf development at the same age-specific observations were nearly the same indicating closer genetic relationship between the traits.