Evaluation of yield and yield related characteristics of selected advance rice breeding lines under low country wet zone conditions in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Identification of proper genetic materials with reliable characters to enhance crop productivity through higher yielding potentials, resistant and tolerant against biotic and abiotic stresses under different climatic conditions is required. The study was conducted to evaluate the selected advanced rice breeding lines under different cross combinations with their respective check varieties under low country wet zone conditions of Sri Lanka. The experiment was conducted as randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates in 2022 Yala season. The five selected advanced rice breeding lines of Bw20-1281, Bw20-1285, Bw20-612, Bw19-1398, Bw19-1430 and two check varieties of Bw451 and Bg403 were used. Agronomic characters of plant height, culm length, reproductive characters of panicle length, days to 85% maturity and yield related characters of number of panicles per unit area, number of productive tillers per plant, number of filled grains per panicle, panicle weight, 1000 grain weight and grain yield were measured in average ten plants at different growth stages according to the standard evaluation system for rice developed by the International Rice Research Institute. Significant differences were observed among the tested entries and check varieties for all the evaluated traits. Among the yield components, Bw20-1281 had the highest number of filled grains per panicle, Bw19-1430 had the highest 1000 grain weight, while Bw20-1285, Bw19-1430, Bw451, and Bg403 had the highest number of productive tillers per plant. In addition to that the highest number of panicles per unit area was recorded by Bw20-612. Considering about yield components such as number of panicles per unit area and 1000 grain weight, Bw20-612 behave better than the other tested entries and it has non lodging type steady plant architecture also. Therefore, Bw20-612 was selected as the potential rice germplasm to be used in the future testing in varietal improvement programme of the research Centre.