Some rice varieties keep yielding even when water runs short
Hussain, T.; Anothai, J.; Nualsri, C.; Ali, A.; Khomphet, T.
Crop Improvement
If you've ever watched a garden crop wilt during a dry spell and wondered why some plants bounce back while others don't, this study on rice varieties shows breeders exactly which traits to select for tougher, more forgiving crops.
Scientists grew sixteen kinds of upland rice under normal watering, moderate drought, and severe drought to see which ones held up best. Some varieties lost more than three-quarters of their yield under stress, while others like Dawk Kha and Khao Sai stayed relatively productive even with much less water. The team also found specific measurements, like how well plants recover after stress, that reliably predict which varieties will perform best when conditions turn dry, giving breeders a practical shortcut for picking drought-tolerant rice.
Key Findings
Yield losses under moderate stress ranged from 24-60% depending on variety and growth duration, while severe stress caused losses of 43-78%
Dawk Kha, Khao/Sai, and Dawk Pa-yawm showed the highest yield stability across all stress levels among the sixteen varieties tested
Selection indices GMP, STI, MPRO, and MHAR showed strong correlation with grain yield across all conditions, making them useful tools for breeders to screen for drought resilience
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers tested sixteen upland rice varieties under drought conditions and found some, like Dawk Kha and Khao Sai, held onto yield much better than others when water was scarce, offering breeders a shortlist for developing drought-tough rice.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Assessing Drought Resilience and Identification of High Yielding Upland Rice Varieties through Phenology, Growth and Yield Traits
Drought stress is the major yield limiting factor in upland rice production where the moisture availability is highly variable. Understanding and evaluating how upland rice responds to drought stre...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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Upland rice is rice grown in dry-land environments. The term describes varieties of rice developed for rain-fed or less-intensely irrigated soil instead of flooded rice paddy fields or rice grown outside of paddies.