Agriculture

Researchers from University of Agriculture Discuss Findings in Crop Science

  2012 APR 12 - (VerticalNews.com) -- "Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the important food crops drastically affected by drought. Considering the low heritability of grain yield under water stress, several secondary traits associated with drought tolerance have been used, but the success achieved in deriving cultivars with high yield potential under stress is less compared to irrigated conditions," researchers in Bangalore, India report.

  "Hence, objective of the experiment was to estimate heritability for grain yield under lowland stress and select for grain yield per se using wild species Oryza meridionalis Ng and also to identify physio-morphological traits responsible for withstanding water stress. A population derived from O. sativa cv. IR58025B x O. meridionalis (BC2F3) was evaluated under control and stress conditions. Variability observed for yield and component traits indicated O. meridionalis to be a good source of useful alleles for drought tolerance. Broad-sense heritability (h(2)) of grain yield under stress, although only 33.1%, was comparable to control 59.4%, indicating direct selection for grain yield per se can be practiced. Twenty high-yielding selected lines and 40 random lines were evaluated under control and stress conditions to estimate selection response. Yield of selected lines outperformed random lines and checks under stress. Furthermore, 10 lines (5 high yielding and 5 low yielding) selected from the population were characterized for root morphological traits," wrote P.K. Gouda and colleagues, University of Agriculture.

  The researchers concluded: "Maximum root length (MRL) and root volume (RV) of selected high-yielding lines recorded maximum compared with checks and low-yielding lines indicating positive influence of drought avoidance root traits on grain yield under stress. Hence, O. meridionalis can be a good source of root traits contributing to stress tolerance and selection for grain yield under stress is an effective strategy in deriving drought tolerant lines in rice."

  Gouda and colleagues published their study in Crop Science (Direct Selection for Grain Yield under Moisture Stress in Oryza sativa cv. IR58025B x Oryza meridionalis Population. Crop Science, 2012;52(2):644-653).

  For additional information, contact P.K. Gouda, Univ Agr Sci Bangalore, Dept. of Biotechnol, GKVK, Bangalore 560065, Karnataka, India.

  Publisher contact information for the journal Crop Science is: Crop Science Soc Amer, 677 S Segoe Road, Madison, WI 53711, USA.

  Keywords: City:Bangalore, Country:India, Region:Asia

  This article was prepared by VerticalNews Agriculture editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2012, VerticalNews Agriculture via VerticalNews.com.