Genetic divergence among rice genotypes for drought tolerance

Abstract

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) 2n=24, Family- Poaceae is the world’s most important staple food crop, which not only provide food but also influenced traditions, religions, culture and life style since Vedic period. Rice is grown over an area of 153.76 m. ha with production of 598.85 m.t. in the world (FAO, 2012). Drought stress is the major constraint to rice production and yield stability in the rainfed regions, affecting 19 million ha of upland and over 14 m ha of rainfed lowland rice. In drought prone environment breeding programme must combine selection under stress condition with selection for yield potential because farmers want cultivars that are both drought-tolerant and have high yield potential in favourable years Evidence indicates that these goals are not mutually exclusive. There is a moderate to large positive correlation between yield under drought stress and yield potential under favourable condition. To achieve such goals the investigation was conducted at Experimental Farm, College of Agriculture, Rewa (M.P.) under Rice Improvement Project with 65 genotypes in D2 statistics with three replications during Kharif 2014. Findings revealed that highest contribution towards the genetic diversity of rice genotypes was contributed Under control condition by panicle weight, grain yield per hectare, days to 50% heading, sterility per cent, no. of panicles per meter, no. of grains per panicle and biological yield, whereas in rainfed stress condition the characters like sterility per cent followed by grain yield per meter, days to 50% heading, test weight, panicle weight, biological weight per meter and no. of grains per panicle.