Zeitschriftenartikel zum Thema „Aromatic rice seed varieties“

Limited farmer access to quality seeds of improved varieties and knowledge gaps in good agronomic practices are the major factors limiting rice productivity among smallholder farmers in Uganda. Promoting high yielding aromatic rice varieties alongside good agronomic practices can unlock commercial opportunities for smallholder farmers in rice cultivation, given that 80% of rice consumers in Uganda prefer aromatic rice, which is in short supply. This case study highlights a project’s achievements to accelerate the adoption of improved aromatic rice varieties among smallholder farmers in Uganda. This project supported a few selected farmers with the seed of a new aromatic rice variety, NARORICE-1, and equipped them with agronomic skills to raise their yields from an average of 3.1 to 4.1 t/ha. Line transplanting was identified as a crucial technology to increase rice yields among smallholders. Costly and inaccessible crop-enhancing inputs such as seeds and fertilizers, and an unfair distribution of irrigation water were the two main obstacles farmers face in rice production. Farmers valued NARORICE-1 for its aroma, high yield, and early maturity. The project’s training of a community seed producer improved farmers’ access to NARORICE-1 seeds, increasing its adoption by 20% in two years. NARORICE-1 is much more in demand than any other variety and attracts a better price, making it an ideal innovation for increasing productivity and farmer’s incomes. An effective seed system and continuous farmer training are vital for accelerating impact.

Rice is one of the major cereal grain consumed more than half of the world’s population. Aromatic rice is one of the most widely accepted rice due its pleasant aroma. Traditionally, many varieties of aromatic rice are grown by the farmers of Assam maintaining a diverse gene pool. In the present study, morphological variation was studied in 22 aromatic rice landraces using qualitative and quantitative traits. Keteki Joha is very popular indigenous aromatic rice grown in a small pocket of Assam for its high yield. Though Kola Kunkuni Joha is relatively smaller grain size and low yield but have high demand due to its high aroma as compared to other landraces. Significant positive correlations was occurred at 0.05 level between kernel length and seed weight with seed width (r = 0.6734*) and (0.5881*) as well as seed weight with kernel width (r = 0.5433*). The correlation between seed width and kernel width (0.9663**) showed significantly positive relationship which shown at 0.01 level. Characterization of aromatic rice landraces of Assam would be a boon for the breeders for designing further rice improvement programme.

<p class="abstrakinggris">The common method used for purity testing of rice seed is human visual observation. This method, however, has a high degree of subjectivity when dealing with different rice varieties which have similar morphology. Digital image analysis with flatbed scanning for purity testing of rice seed was proposed by investigating the morphology of rice seeds and confirmation by grow out test (GOT) in the field. Two extra-long seed varieties were used in this study including a red rice Aek Sibundong and an aromatic rice Sintanur. The identification on 14 parameters of morphological characteristics indicated that only six parameters were correlated, i.e. area, feret, minimum feret, aspect ratio, round, and solidity. The purity of rice seed can be effectively determined using digital image analysis of spikelet color and shape. Based on the discriminant analysis of the digital image the recognition rate of rice seed purity was higher than 99.2% for shape and 93.55% for color. The method, therefore, has a potential to be used as a complement in rice seed purity testing to increase the accuracy of human visual method and it is more sensitive than GOT.</p>

The purification of rice varieties were tested by using molecular markers. DNA fingerprint is the most accurate method. This research was extracted single milled rice seed varieties, which includes Proteinase K in SDS extraction buffer and 2x CTAB. Three simple sequence repeats (SSRs) markers for varietal purity test are 1) BO3, which completely co-segregate with the rice grain aroma. This primer pair amplifying a 140 bp fragment for an aromatic variety, KDML105 and a 130 bp fragment for a non-aromatic variety, RD29, 41, 49 and rice berry, respectively. 2) RM190, which is closely linked to waxy gene. This primer pair amplifying a 125 bp fragment for low amylose content, Sao-hai, RD 29, RD 41, RD 49 rice varieties and a 110 bp fragments for high amylose varieties, rice berry, KDML 105 and 3) Glu23, which is glutinous marker. This primer pair amplifying a 196 bp fragment for a non-glutinous variety, RD 29, RD 41, RD 49, rice berry and a 225 bp fragments for glutinous varieties, Keaw-Ngoo sticky rice. All markers can be checking adulteration of aromatic, amylose content and glutinous in rice by using molecular Marker.

Joha is a fine grain aromatic rice of Assam, well known in the world market. This rice is protected and tagged as a geographical indication. This study evaluated priming effects on naturally aged seeds of two varieties, Kon Joha and Keteki Joha, after 0, 3, 6 and nine months of storage under ambient conditions. Seeds were hydro-primed, osmo-primed with 5% and 10% PEG, halo primed with 1% and 2% KCl and primed with 5 ppm and 10 ppm GA3 for 12 and 24 hours. Seed moisture percentage, germination percentage, germination index, mean germination time, seedling length and dry weight, seed vigour index, field emergence, seed reserve utilization rate, seed reserve use efficiency, seed reserve depletion percentage, and biochemical parameters like electrical conductivity, lipid peroxidation and α-amylase were observed. Seed quality was gradually deteriorating due to ageing over the storage period. The rate of deterioration was faster for seedling vigour traits than germination parameters. There was a varietal difference in the rate of deterioration; it was slower in Kon Joha, an indigenous variety which also showed dormancy. The priming treatments were able to ameliorate the effect of seed ageing on seed germination, seedling growth and biochemical parameters in Kon Joha. Treatments with 1% KCl, 10 ppm GA3 and 5% PEG enhanced the germination parameters and vigour indicators. KCl (1%) priming was the best priming agent; 24 hours of priming for all agents was better than 12 hours.

Fragrance, which plays an important role in determining the economic value of rice to growers and consumers, is known to be controlled by the Badh2 gene. This study evaluated the grain quality characteristics and allelic variation of the Badh2 gene in 22 fragrant rice landraces from Thailand. The rice seed samples from farmers’ storage facilities in northern, northeastern and southern Thailand, plus two advanced breeding lines and three check varieties, were evaluated for seed morphology and grain quality, and their Badh2 genes covering intron 4 to intron 8 were re-sequenced. Almost all of the landraces were classified as large grain types, with medium to high gelatinization temperatures. The variation in the Badh2 gene by haplotype analysis correlated with grain aroma by sensory evaluation. The badh2-E7 was found in haplotype 1 with a strong aroma in KH, NDLP, and PLD, as in KDML105 and the moderately aromatic BNM-CMU, BNM4, and SKH, along with PTT1. Three haplotypes had different positions of SNP on the Badh2 gene with varying results in the sensory test. The present results suggest that some rice varieties could be potentially introduced as genetic resources for fragrant rice breeding programs or could be developed to highly palatable cultivars with geographical indications to increase the income of highland farmers.

An enhancement over already available premium quality enriched aromatic rice varieties for Bangladesh is the recently announced BRRI dhan104 type of rice, which has long slender grain and is high yielding and ideal for Bangladesh's irrigated ecology. The variety has satisfactorily passed the Proposed Variety Trial (PVT) conducted in the farmers’ field in Boro 2021-22 season. As a result National Seed Board (NSB) approved this variety for commercial cultivation in the Boro season (dry season) in 2022. It has modern plant type with 92 cm plant height and matures by 147 days. The proposed variety showed 0.68 t/ha higher yield than check variety BRRI dhan50. Identifying characters of this variety are green leaf, intermediate plant height, erect flag leaf, long slender grain, and intermediate leaf senescence. In average, it can produce 7.30 t/ha grain yield but it has potentiality to give 8.71 t/ha grain yield under favorable climatic condition and appropriate agronomic management. Thousand grain weight of the variety is 21.5 gm and head rice yield is 57.2%. It is strong aromatic basmati type rice variety (according to GCMS system the value of volatile aromatic compound is 2.12 ppm), 29.2% amylose content with 8.9% protein content. Farmers can benefit financially from growing the premium quality enriched aromatic rice variety BRRI dhan104 and the total rice production will be increased along with possible to earn foreign currency by export this variety. Among the released variety by BRRI, the BRRI dhan104 is the only variety of aromatic basmati type.

The field experiment was carried out at Regional Research and Technology Transfer Station, Bhawanipatna, Kalahandi of Odisha University of Agriculture & Technology, Bhubaneswar to evaluate the performance of three aromatic rice varieties under five different nutrient management practices during 2017-18 and 2018-19. The experiment was laid out in split-plot design taking three aromatic rice varieties (Geetanjali, Gangabali and Badshabhog) in main plot and five nutrient management practices (40:20:20, 60:30:30, 80:40:40 kg N:P2O5:K2O ha-1, 40:20:20 kg N:P2O5:K2O ha-1+ FYM 5 t ha-1 and 40:20:20 kg N:P2O5:K2O ha-1 + FYM 5 t ha-1 + Biofertilizers (Azospirillum and PSB 5 kg each ha-1 ) in sub- plot replicated thrice. Chickpea was sown as paira crop 15 days prior to the harvest of paddy. The yield attributes, yield and economics of production was maximum in aromatic rice Gangabali. Maximum grain yield was obtained with application of 80:40:40 kg N:P2O5:K2O ha-1(3480 kg ha-1) being at par with 40:20:20 kg N:P2O5:K2O ha-1 + FYM 5 t ha-1 (3303 kg ha-1) and 40:20:20 kg N:P2O5:K2O ha-1 + FYM 5 t ha-1 + Biofertilizers (3392 kg ha-1). The chickpea seed yield was maximum in Geetanjali (682 kg ha-1) grown plot, which was harvested fifteen days earlier than the other two varieties. The residual effect of nutrient management practices was prominent in the treatment where inorganic fertilizers were applied in conjunction with organic manures in which the seed yield of chickpea was 19-72% higher in the plots with combined application of organic manures and inorganic fertilizer than that of only inorganic fertilizers. The rice equivalent yield (REY), gross return, net return, return rupee-1 invested and partial factor productivity of NPK used were higher in Geetanjali. Among the nutrient management practices application of 40:20:20 kg N:P2O5:K2O ha-1 + FYM 5t ha-1 + Biofertilizer registered maximum REY (5088 kg ha-1), gross return (Rs.1,31,336 ha-1) and net return (Rs.75,868 ha-1) which was 43 and 24% higher than the plots treated with 40:20:20 kg N:P2O5:K2O ha-1 and 60:30:30 kg N:P2O5:K2O ha-1, respectively. The partial factor productivity of NPK used was significantly higher in the treatment supplied with less nutrients from inorganic and/or organics sources and gradually decreased with increasing NPK dose.

Chakhao Poireiton, Chakhao Sempak and Chakhao Amubi are the three most popular traditional non-Basmati-type black scented rice of the state of Manipur in India. These varieties have long statured (135-145 cm height) plants which have high anthocyanin pigment on sheaths, leaf blades, nodes and internodes. They are characterized by late heading (115-120 days) and late maturity duration (145-150 days). The lemma and palea of grains are of purple colour with strong fragrance. The agro-morphological characterization of Chakhao Poireiton, Chakhao Sempak and Chakhao Amubi was done at College of Agriculture, Central Agricultural University, Imphal, India during the wet (Kharif) seasons of 2017 and 2018 following the DUS test guidelines for the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Authority (PPV & FRA). DNA extractions were done using SDS method and a CAPS marker for the OSB1 gene was used to discriminate rice seeds governing white and black colour. We validated the usefulness of this marker in three varieties of black scented rice and in a white local landrace as well as their crosses with the white local landrace.

The nutrients and chemical contents of Persea americana, Dacryodes edulis, and Canarium scheinfurthi fruits and partial characterization of their seed oils were carried out to ascertain their nutritional benefits. The fruit pulps were analyzed for chemical (proximate) composition, amino acids profile, vitamins, and phytochemical and anti-nutritional compositions. Oils were extracted from the fruit seeds and the physico-chemical properties of the seed oils were determined according to the standard protocols. The results showed that the fruit pulps contained an abundance of macro- and micro-nutrients which varied significantly (p < 0.05) among the varieties with low anti-nutrients. The essential amino acid contents were high and varied significantly (p < 0.05) among the varieties. Glutamic acid, followed by aspartic acid had the highest concentration of the amino acids, while the concentrations of methionine and cysteine were low in all the varieties. The results also revealed high essential amino acids score values, above 100% for isoleucine and total aromatic amino acids. The physicochemical properties of the fruit oils showed that the oils were edible (low acid value) and may have industrial potential due to their low peroxide, iodine, and saponification values. Overall, the results showed that the pears are nutritionally rich and could serve dietetic and industrial purposes.

Starch quality is one of the most important agronomic traits in rice (Oryza sativa L). In this study, we identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the Waxy and Alk genes of eight rice varieties and their associations with starch physicochemical properties.vi.e.vamylose content (AC) and gelatinization temperature (GT). Seven Sri Lankan rice varieties, Pachchaperumal, Herathbanda, At 354, Bg 352, Balasuriya, H 6 and Bw 295-5 were detected as high amylose varieties while Nipponbare exhibited low amylose content. In silico analysis of the Waxy gene revealed that all tested Sri Lankan varieties possessed ‘G’ (Wxa allele) instead of ‘T’ in the first intron which could explain varieties with high and intermediate amylose content. All Sri Lankan varieties had ‘A’ instead of ‘C’ in exon 6 of the Waxy gene and this fact was tally with the varieties showing high amylose content. Therefore, possessing the Wxa allele in the first intron and ‘A’ in exon 6 could be used as a molecular marker for the selection of high amylose varieties as validated using several Sri Lankan varieties. All Sri Lankan varieties except, Bw 295-5 exhibited the intermediate type of GT which could not be explained using the so far reported allelic differences in the Alk gene. However, Bw 295-5 which is a low GT variety had two nucleotide polymorphisms in the last exon of the Alk gene, i.e. ‘G’ and ‘TT’ that represent low GT class. Therefore, it can be concluded that sequence variations of Waxy and Alk genes reported in this study are useful in breeding local rice varieties with preferential amylose content and GT class.Key word Alk gene, amylose content, single nucleotide polymorphism, Waxy gene.INTRODUCTIONRice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the leading food crops of the world. More than half of the world’s population relies on rice as the major daily source of calories and protein (Sartaj and Suraweera, 2005). After grain yield, quality is the most important aspect of rice breeding. Grain size and shape largely determine the market acceptability of rice, while cooking quality is influenced by the properties of starch. In rice grains starch is the major component that primarily controls rice quality. Starch consists of two forms of glucose polymers, relatively unbranched amylose and a highly branched amylopectin. Starch-synthesizing genes may contribute to variation in starch physicochemical properties because they affect the amount and structure of amylose and amylopectin in rice grain (Kharabian-Masouleh et al., 2012). Amylose content (AC), gelatinization temperature (GT) and gel consistency (GC) is the three most important determinants of eating and cooking quality. Amylose content is the ratio of amylose amount present in endosperm to total starch content. Rice varieties are grouped based on their amylose content into waxy (0-2%), very low (3-9%), low (10-19%), intermediate (20-25%), and high (> 25%) (Kongseree and Juliano, 1972). The most widely used method for amylose determination is a colorimetric assay where iodine binds with amylose to produce a blue-purple color, which is measured spectrophotometrically at a single wavelength (620nm). Low amylose content is usually associated with tender, cohesive and glossy cooked rice; while, high amylose content is associated with firm, fluffy and separate grains of cooked rice. The Waxy (Wx) gene, which encodes granule-bound starch synthase I (GBSSI), is the major gene controlling AC in rice (Nakamura, 2002). The Waxy gene is located on chromosome six and various single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of Wx were found, including a ‘G’ to ‘T’ SNP of the first intron, ‘A’ to ‘C’ SNP of the sixth exon and ‘C’ to ‘T’ SNP of the tenth exon (Larkin and Park, 2003). The ‘AGGTATA’ sequence at the 5’splice-junction coincides with the presence of the Wxa allele, while the ‘AGTTATA’ sequence coincides with the presence of the Wxb allele. Therefore, all intermediate and high amylose cultivars had ‘G’ nucleotide while low amylose cultivars had ‘T’ nucleotide at the putative leader intron 5′ splice site. The cytosine and thymidine (CT) dinucleotide repeats in the 5’- untranslated region (UTR) of the Waxy gene were reported to be a factor associated with AC. However, the relationship between these polymorphisms and amylose contents is not clear. Amylopectin chain length distribution plays a very important role to determine GT in cooked rice. The time required for cooking is determined by the gelatinization temperature of starch. It is important because it affects the texture of cooked rice and it is related to the cooking time of rice. The gelatinization temperature is estimated by the alkali digestibility test. It is measured by the alkali spreading value (ASV). The degree of spreading value of individual milled rice kernels in a weak alkali solution (1.7% KOH) is very closely correlated with gelatinized temperature. According to the ASV, rice varieties may be classified as low (55 to 69°C), intermediate (70 to 74°C) and high (> 74°C) GT classes. In a breeding program ASV is extensively used to estimate the gelatinization temperature. The synthesis of amylopectin is more complex than that of amylose. Polymorphisms in the starch synthase IIa (SSIIa) gene which is recognized as the Alk gene are responsible for the differences in GT in rice (Umemoto and Aoki, 2005; Waters et al., 2006). Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the last exon of the Alk gene are responsible for the differences in GT in rice. The biochemical analysis clearly showed that the function of the amino acids caused by these two SNPs is essential for SSIIa enzyme activity (Nakamura et al., 2005) and those are ‘G’/‘A’ SNP at 4424 bp position and ‘GC’/‘TT’ SNPs at 4533/4534 bp position with reference to Nipponbare rice genomic sequence. Based on the SNPs, Low SSIIa enzyme activity results in S-type amylopectin, which is enriched in short chains whereas high SSIIa enzyme activity produces L-type amylopectin (Umemoto et al., 2004). Therefore, the combination of ‘G’ at SNP3 and ‘GC’ at SNP4 is required to produce L-type rice starch and this has a higher GT relative to S-type starch. GC is a standard assay that is used in rice improvement programs to determine the texture of softness and firmness in high amylose rice cultivars. Intermediate and low amylose rice usually has soft gel consistency. Sequence variation in exon 10 of the Waxy gene associates with GC (Tran et al., 2011).OBJECTIVES The objectives of this study were to detect polymorphisms in major starch synthesizing genes among several rice cultivars as models and to determine the relationship between their SNP variations and starch physicochemical properties. Also, we analyzed major starch synthesizing gene sequences of several Sri Lankan rice varieties in silico aiming at utilizing this information in rice breeding programs.MATERIALS AND METHODSPlant materials: Seeds of eight Oryza sativa L. accessions were obtained from the Rice Research and Development Institute (RRDI), Bathalagoda, Sri Lanka and Gene Bank of Plant Genetic Resource Center (PGRC), Gannoruwa.Characterization of grain physical parameters: Grain length and width were determined using a vernier caliper. Ten grains from each sample were collected randomly and measured to obtain the average length and width of the milled rice. The average length and width were recorded as their length and width. Based on the length and width of the grains, the milled rice grains were classified into four classes (table 1) according to the method accepted by RRDI Bathalagoda, Sri Lanka.According to the scale L/S – Long Slender, L/M – Long Medium, I/B – Intermediate Bold and S/R –Short RoundAnalysis of amylose content: Initially, rice samples were dehusked and polished prior to milling. Ten whole – milled rice kernels of eight rice samples were ground separately by using mortar and pestle. Amylose content per 100 mg was determined by measuring the blue value of rice varieties as described by Juliano (1971). About 100mg rice sample was shifted into a 100 mL volumetric flask and 1mL of 95% ethanol was added. Then 9mL of 1N NaOH was added and the content was boiled for 20min. at boiling temperature to gelatinize the starch. After cooling the content, the volume was made up to 100mL and 5mL of starch solution was pipetted out into a 100mL volumetric flask. The blue color was developed by adding 1mL of 1N acetic acid and 2 mL of iodine solution (0.2g iodine and 2.0g potassium iodine in 10 mL aqueous solution). Then volume was made up to 100mL with distilled water and the solution was kept for 20min. after shaking. Finally, the absorbance of the solution was measured at 620nm using Spectrophotometer T80 (PG Instruments Limited) as described by Juliano (1971). The standard curve was prepared using 40mg of potato-amylose to calculate the amylose content of rice varieties through absorbance values. Forty mg of potato amylose was put into a 100 mL of volumetric flask and 1ml of 95% ethanol and 9mL of NaOH were added and content was heated for 20min at boiling temperature. After cooling the content volume of the solution was made up to 100mL using distilled water. Then 1mL, 2mL, 3mL, 4mL and 5mL of amylose solution were pipetted out into 100mL flasks. Then 0.2mL, 0.4mL, 0.6mL, 0.8mL and 1mL of 1N acetic acid were added to the flasks respectively. Finally, 2mL of iodine solution was added to each flask and volume was made up to 100mL with distilled water. Solutions were stood up for 20min. after shaking and absorbance values were measured at 620nm. Measured absorbance values were plotted at 620nm against the concentration of anhydrous amylose (mg).Analysis of gelatinization temperature: GT was indirectly measured on rice by the alkali spreading value. Husked and polished seeds per accession were used for the analysis. Selected duplicate sets of six milled grains without cracks of each sample were put into Petri dishes. About 10mL of 1.7% KOH was added and grains were spread in the petri dish to provide enough space. The constant temperature at 30°C was maintained to ensure better reproducibility. After 23hrs, the degree of disintegration was quantified by a standard protocol with a numerical scale of 1–7 (table 2) as reported by Cruz and Khush (2000). As reported by Juliano (2003), GT of rice was determined using the alkaline spreading scale, where 1.0-2.5: High (74-80 °C), 2.6-3.4: High-intermediate (70-74 °C), 3.5-5.4: Intermediate (70-74 °C) and 5.5-7.0 Low: (55-70 °C).Bioinformatics and statistical analysis: The available literature was used to identify the most likely candidate genes associated with rice starch quality and their SNPs of each gene (Hirose et al., 2006; Waters and Henry, 2007; Tran et al., 2011). In all the tested varieties except Bg 352 and At 354, the DNA sequence of each gene was retrieved from the Rice SNP Seek database (http://snp-seek.irri.org/). The gene sequences of At 354 and Bg 352 were obtained from the National Research Council 16-016 project, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka. Multiple sequence alignment was conducted for the DNA sequence using Clustal Omegavsoftware (https://www.ebi.ac.uk/Tools/msa/clustalo/). Starch physiochemical data obtained were subjected to a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Duncan’s New Multiple Range Test (DNMRT) to determine the statistical differences among varieties at the significance level of p ≤ 0.05. Statistical analysis was done using SAS version 9.1 (SAS, 2004).ESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Physical properties of rice grains: Physical properties such as length, width, size, shape and pericarp color of rice grains obtained from eight different rice varieties are given in table 3. Classification of rice grains was carried out, according to their sizes and shapes based on Juliano (1985). The size of the rice grains was determined as per grain length while grain shape was determined by means of length and width ratio of the rice kernel. In the local market, rice is classified as Samba (short grain), Nadu (intermediate grain) and Kora (long/medium) based on the size of the grain (Pathiraje et al., 2010). Lengths of rice kernels were varied from 5.58 to 6.725 mm for all varieties. The highest grain length and width were given by At 354 and Pachchaperumal respectively. The varieties, Bw 295-5 and H 6 showed a length: width ratio over 3 which is considered as slender in grain shape. Bw 295-5, H 6, At 354, Bg 352 and Nipponbare possessed white pericarp and others possessed red pericarp.Relationship between amylose content and SNPs variation of waxy loci in selected varieties: Amylose content was measured in seven Sri Lankan rice varieties and one exotic rice variety. Amylose content of the evaluated varieties varied significantly with p ≤ 0.05 with the lowest of 15.11% and highest of 28.63% which were found in Nipponbare and Bw 295-5, respectively (table 4). The majority of the evaluated varieties fell into the high AC category (between 25-28%). Only Nipponbare could be clearly categorized under the low amylose group (table 4). The amylose content of Bg 352, Pachchaperumal and Herathbanda have already been determined by early studies of Rebeira et al. (2014) and Fernando et al. (2015). Most of the data obtained in the present experiment has agreed with the results of previous studies. Major genes such as Waxy and their functional SNPs have a major influence on amylose in rice (Nakamura et al., 2005). Accordingly, single nucleotide polymorphism, ‘G’/‘T’, at the 5’ leader intron splice site of the GBSSI has explained the variation in amylose content of varieties. Accordingly, high and intermediate amylose varieties have ‘AGGTATA’ while low amylose varieties have the sequence ‘AGTTATA’, which might lead to a decrease in the splicing efficiency. Therefore, the GBSSI activity of Nipponbare might be considerably weak and resulted in starch with low amylose content. Hence, producing ‘G’/‘T’ polymorphism clearly differentiates low amylose rice varieties, as reported by Nakamura et al. (2005). In GBSSI, Larkin and Park (2003) identified an ‘A’/‘C’ polymorphism in exon 6 and a ‘C’/‘T’ polymorphism in exon 10 which resulted in non- synonymous amino acid change. Chen et al. (2008) reported that the non-synonymous ‘A’/‘C’ SNP at exon 6 had the highest possible impact on GBSSI. Accordingly, the ‘A’/‘C’ polymorphism in exon 6 causes a tyrosine/serine amino acid substitution while the ‘C’/‘T’ polymorphism in exon 10 causes a serine/proline amino acid substitution. In view of this information, there is a relationship between the polymorphism detected by in silico analysis and amylose content obtained from our experiment. Out of the eight tested rice varieties, only one variety, Nipponbare was categorized as low amylose variety (10-19%) and it exhibited ‘T’ nucleotide at the intron splice site (table 4; figure 1). Varieties such as Pachchaperumal, Balasuriya, Bw 295-5, H 6, Herathbanda, At 354 and Bg 352 which contained high amylose (> 25%), had ‘G’ and ‘A’ nucleotides at intron splice site and exon 6 respectively (table 4; figure 1). The predominant allelic pattern of intron splice site and exon 6 are different in varieties containing intermediate amylose content (20-25%) which showed ‘G’ and ‘C’ nucleotides respectively. Of these selected rice varieties, none of the intermediate type amylose variety was found.Relationship between gel consistency and SNPs variation in Waxy loci: In this study, GC data of Herathbanda, Hondarawalu, Kuruluthuda, Pachchaperumal and Bg 352 were obtained from Fernando et al. (2015). The results of Tran et al. (2011) showed that the exon 10 ‘C’/‘T’ SNP of Wx has mainly affected GC. Accordingly, rice with a ‘C’ at exon 10 had soft and viscous gels once cooked. However, a sample with a ‘T’ had short and firm gels. In this study, Herathbanda, Hondarawalu, Kuruluthuda and Pachchaperumal had ‘C’ nucleotide and Bg 352 had ‘T’ nucleotide in exon 10 (table 5; figure 2). However, ‘C’/‘T’ substitution analysis could not be used to explain the GC of tested varieties.Relationship between gelatinized temperature and SNPs variation of Alk loci in selected rice varieties: Although there were differences in the scores, the degree of disintegration of all samples was saturated at 23 hrs. Most of the selected rice varieties showed the intermediate disintegration score. Varieties, Pachchaperumal, Balasuriya, H 6, Herathbanda, At 354 and Bg 352 were categorized into intermediate GT class (70–74°C) as indicated by an alkali spreading (AS) value of 5 (table 6; figure 3). Nipponbare and Bw 295-5 showed the highest disintegration score indicating the dispersion of all grains. Hence these varieties were categorized into low GT class (55-69°C) as indicated by an AS value of 6 (table 6; figure 3). However, high GT class rice varieties (> 74°C) were not found in the tested samples. Chromosomal mutation within the Alk gene has led to a number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Umemoto et al. (2004) identified four SNPs in Alk gene. Thus, SNP3 and SNP4 may be important genetic polymorphisms that are associated with GT class. According to the SNP3 and SNP4, eight rice varieties could be classified into either high GT or low GT types. If there is ‘A’ instead of ‘G’ at 4424 bp position of Alk gene with reference to Nipponbare rice genomic sequence, it codes methionine instead of valine amino acid residue in SSIIa, whilst two adjacent SNPs at bases 4533 and 4534 code for either leucine (‘GC’) or phenylalanine (‘TT’). Rice varieties with high GT starch had a combination of valine and leucine at these residues. Rice varieties with low GT starch had a combination of either methionine and leucine or valine and phenylalanine at these same residues. Nipponbare carried the ‘A’ and ‘GC’ nucleotides, while Bw 295-5 carried the ‘G’ and ‘TT’ nucleotides. Hence these varieties were classified into low GT class. Varieties such as Pachchaperumal, Balasuriya, H 6, Herathbanda, At 354 and Bg 352 carried ‘G’ and ‘GC’ nucleotides and these varieties were classified into high GT rice varieties. However, intermediate GT status could not be determined by SNP3 and SNP4 mutation of Alk gene (table 6; figure 4).In silico analysis of the polymorphisms in GBSSI gene and Alk genes of rice varieties retrieved from Rice-SNP-database: In this study, GBSSI gene and Alk gene were compared with the sequences retrieved from the Rice-SNP-Seek database to validate the SNPs further. As previously reported by Ayres et al. (1997), all low amylose varieties had the sequence ‘AGTTATA’ in exon 1. In agreement with preliminary work done by Larkin and Park (2003), all of the intermediate amylose varieties have the allelic pattern of GCC. All of the high amylose varieties have either the GAC or GAT allele of GBSSI. Among 42 rice accessions with the Sri Lankan pedigree, four allelic patterns were found; TAC, GCC, GAC and GAT (table 7). In this allelic pattern, the first letter corresponds to the ‘G’/‘T’ polymorphism in 5’ leader intron splice-junction, the second letter corresponds to the ‘A’/‘C’ polymorphism in exon 6 and the third letter corresponds to the ‘C’/‘T’ polymorphism in exon10 of Waxy gene. Analysis of the ‘G’/‘T’ polymorphism in the Wx locus showed that 41 rice cultivars shared the same ‘AGGTATA’ sequence at the 5’ leader intron splice-junction. But only 1 rice cultivar, Puttu nellu was found with ‘T’ nucleotide in intron1/exon1 junction site, which could be categorized as a low amylose variety (table 7). As discussed above, varieties with an intermediate level of apparent amylose could be reliably distinguished from those with higher apparent amylose based on a SNP in exon 6. Hence, only three rice varieties Nalumoolai Karuppan, Pannithi and Godawel with ‘C’ nucleotide in exon 6 exhibited the possibility of containing intermediate amylose content (table 7). High activity of GBSSI produces high amylose content leading to a non-waxy, non-sticky or non-glutinous phenotype. Therefore, according to the in silico genotypic results, rest of the 38 rice varieties may produce high amylose content in the endosperm (table 7). Proving this phenomenon. Abeysekera et al. (2017) has reported that usually, most of Sri Lankan rice varieties contain high amylose content. Targeted sequence analysis of exon 8 of the Alk gene in 42 different rice cultivars were found with three SNP polymorphisms that resulted in a changed amino acid sequence and, of these three SNPs, two SNPs were reported to be correlated with possible GT differences. Accordingly, Puttu nellu and 3210 rice varieties carried the ‘G’ and ‘TT’ nucleotides in SNP3 and SNP4 respectively (table 7). Hence these varieties can be classified into low GT class and except these two; other rice varieties carried the ‘G’ and ‘GC’ nucleotides in SNP3 and SNP4 respectively. Therefore, those varieties can possibly be classified into high GT rice varieties (table 7). However, further experiments are necessary to check the phenotypic variations for grain amylose content and GT class of in silico analyzed rice varieties. CONCLUSION Present results revealed the relationship between SNPs variation at Waxy loci and the amylose content of selected rice varieties. Accordingly, Pachchaperumal, At 354, Bg 352, Herathbanda, H 6, Balasuriya and Bw 295-5 with high amylose content had ‘G’ instead of ‘T’ in the first intron exhibiting the presence of Wxa allele with reference to Nipponbare which had low amylose content. Also all tested varieties had ‘A’ in exon 6 of the Waxy gene. Thus present findings i.e. presence of Wxa allele and SNP ‘A’ in exon 6 could be used as a potential molecular marker for the selection of high amylose varieties. In addition, Bw 295-5 which is a low GT variety, had two SNPs variations in the last exon of the Alk gene i.e. ‘G’ and ‘TT’ which is likely to be used to represent low GT class. Accordingly, sequence variations identified in Waxy and Alk genes could be utilized in the future rice breeding programs for the development of varieties with preferential amylose content and GT class.ACKNOWLEDGMENTSDirector and staff of the Gene Bank, Plant Genetic Resources Center, Gannoruwa are acknowledged for giving rice accessions.CONFLICT OF INTERESTAuthors have no conflict of interest.REFERENCESAbeysekera, W., G. Premakumara, A. Bentota and D. S. Abeysiriwardena, 2017. Grain amylose content and its stability over seasons in a selected set of rice varieties grown in Sri Lanka. Journal of agricultural sciences Sri Lanka, 12(1): 43-50.Ayres, N., A. McClung, P. Larkin, H. Bligh, C. Jones and W. Park, 1997. Microsatellites and a single-nucleotide polymorphism differentiate apparentamylose classes in an extended pedigree of us rice germ plasm. Theoretical applied genetics, 94(6-7): 773-781.Chen, M.-H., C. Bergman, S. Pinson and R. Fjellstrom, 2008. Waxy gene haplotypes: Associations with apparent amylose content and the effect by the environment in an international rice germplasm collection. Journal of cereal science, 47(3): 536-545.Cruz, N. D. and G. Khush, 2000. Rice grain quality evaluation procedures. Aromatic rices, 3: 15-28.Fernando, H., T. Kajenthini, S. Rebeira, T. Bamunuarachchige and H. Wickramasinghe, 2015. Validation of molecular markers for the analysis of genetic diversity of amylase content and gel consistency among representative rice varieties in sri lanka. Tropical agricultural research, 26(2): 317-328.Hirose, T., T. Ohdan, Y. Nakamura and T. Terao, 2006. Expression profiling of genes related to starch synthesis in rice leaf sheaths during the heading period. Physiologia plantarum, 128(3): 425-435.Juliano, B., 1971. A simplified assay for milled rice amylose. Journal of cereal science today, 16: 334-360.Juliano, B. O., 1985. Rice: Chemistry and technology. The american association of cereal chemists. Inc. St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, 774.Juliano, B. O., 2003. Rice chemistry and quality. Island publishing house. Island publishing house, Manila: 1-7.Kharabian-Masouleh, A., D. L. Waters, R. F. Reinke, R. Ward and R. J. Henry, 2012. Snp in starch biosynthesis genes associated with nutritional and functional properties of rice. Scientific reports, 2(1): 1-9.Kongseree, N. and B. O. Juliano, 1972. Physicochemical properties of rice grain and starch from lines differing in amylose content and gelatinization temperature. Journal of agricultural food chemistry, 20(3): 714-718.Larkin, P. D. and W. D. Park, 2003. Association of waxy gene single nucleotide polymorphisms with starch characteristics in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Molecular Breeding, 12(4): 335-339.Nakamura, Y., 2002. Towards a better understanding of the metabolic system for amylopectin biosynthesis in plants: Rice endosperm as a model tissue. Plant cell physiology, 43(7): 718-725.Nakamura, Y., P. B. Francisco, Y. Hosaka, A. Sato, T. Sawada, A. Kubo and N. Fujita, 2005. Essential amino acids of starch synthase iia differentiate amylopectin structure and starch quality between Japonica and Indica rice varieties. Plant molecular biology, 58(2): 213-227.Pathiraje, P., W. Madhujith, A. Chandrasekara and S. Nissanka, 2010. The effect of rice variety and parboiling on in vivo glycemic response. Journal of tropical agricultural research, 22(1): 26-33.Rebeira, S., H. Wickramasinghe, W. Samarasinghe and B. Prashantha, 2014. Diversity of grain quality characteristics of traditional rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties in sri lanka. Tropical agricultural research, 25(4): 470-478.Sartaj, I. Z. and S. A. E. R. Suraweera, 2005. Comparison of different parboiling methods on the quality characteristics of rice. Annals of the Sri Lankan Department of Agriculture, 7: 245-252.Tran, N., V. Daygon, A. Resurreccion, R. Cuevas, H. Corpuz and M. Fitzgerald, 2011. A single nucleotide polymorphism in the waxy gene explains a significant component of gel consistency. Theoretical applied genetics, 123(4): 519-525.Umemoto, T. and N. Aoki, 2005. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in rice starch synthase iia that alter starch gelatinisation and starch association of the enzyme. Functional plant biology, 32(9): 763-768.Umemoto, T., N. Aoki, H. Lin, Y. Nakamura, N. Inouchi, Y. Sato, M. Yano, H. Hirabayashi and S. Maruyama, 2004. Natural variation in rice starch synthase iia affects enzyme and starch properties. Functional plant biology, 31(7): 671-684.Waters, D. L. and R. J. Henry, 2007. Genetic manipulation of starch properties in plants: Patents 2001-2006. Recent patents on biotechnology, 1(3): 252-259.Waters, D. L., R. J. Henry, R. F. Reinke and M. A. Fitzgerald, 2006. Gelatinization temperature of rice explained by polymorphisms in starch synthase. Plant biotechnology journal, 4(1): 115-122.

Non-aromatic rice is often sold at the price of aromatic rice to increase profits, seriously impairing consumer experience and brand credibility. The assessment of rice varieties origins in terms of their aroma traits is of great interest to protect consumers from fraud. To address this issue, the study identified differentially abundant metabolites between non-aromatic rice varieties and each of the three most popular aromatic rice varieties in the market using an untargeted metabolomics approach. The 656 metabolites of five rice grain varieties were determined by headspace solid-phase extraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and the multivariate analyses were used to identify differences in metabolites among rice varieties. The metabolites most differentially abundant between Daohuaxiang 2 and non-aromatic rice included 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline and acetoin; the metabolites most differentially abundant between Meixiangzhan 2 and non-aromatic rice included acetoin and 2-methyloctylbenzene,; and the metabolites most differentially abundant between Yexiangyoulisi and non-aromatic rice included bicyclo[4.4.0]dec,1-ene-2-isopropyl-5-methyl-9-methylene and 2-methylfuran. Overall, acetoin was the metabolite that was most differentially abundant between the aromatic and non-aromatic rice. This study provides direct evidence of the outstanding advantages of aromatic rice and acts a reference for future rice authentication processes in the marketplace.

Seed innovation is of great importance for more sustainable agriculture and food systems. Using data on nationally approved rice varieties and farmers’ adopted varieties, this study examined rice varietal trait changes in China over the past four decades and explored the impact of national crop varietal approval policies on approved rice traits as well as the effect of seed subsidies on adopted rice trait changes. The results showed that the yield of approved varieties and adopted varieties showed an upward trend over the past decades, and the yield of approved varieties was slightly higher than that of adopted varieties in most years. The rice quality of approved rice varieties showed a trend of continuous improvement but the adopted varieties showed a downward trend. The disease resistance of the approved varieties failed to show an increasing trend overall while the adopted varieties remained unchanged. National crop variety approval policies seemed to exert a significant positive impact on approved rice yield traits but exert a negative influence on disease resistance. Subsidies for superior seed varieties significantly increased adopted rice quality but decreased yield. The results suggest that national crop variety approval policies are the gatekeeper of improved rice, so the government can improve the policies to more meet farmers’ and consumers’ needs.

The production of aroma in aromatic rice is due to the increase of 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2-AP) precursor substances caused by the functional deletion of Badh2 gene on chromosome 8, and the accumulation of 2AP makes rice produce aroma. In this study, Badh2 gene was isolated and cloned from 18 representative aromatic rice cultivars in Southern Henan, and the bioinformatics analysis of Badh2 gene was carried out. Meanwhile, seven functional molecular markers developed by Badh2 gene were used to detect and analyze Badh2 gene in 18 aromatic rice varieties from Southern Henan. The results showed that the coding region of Badh2 gene was 1509 bp in length. It contained 15 exons and 14 introns, and encoded 503 amino acids. There are many types of variation of the Badh2 gene in the 18 aromatic rice varieties. According to the variation of Badh2 gene, the tested aromatic rice varieties could be divided into three groups, among which Xinxianggeng 1, Xiangnuo 25, Heixiangdao 193 and Xiangbao 2 were concentrated in group Ⅰ, while the other 14 kinds of aromatic rice were concentrated in group II. Seven functional molecular markers of Badh2 gene were used to detect different varieties mutation types in exon 2, exon 4~5, exon 7 and exon 13 of Badh2 gene. No aromatic rice varieties with different mutation types were found in promoter region, exon 12 and exon 14 of Badh2 gene. Therefore, our results provide important information for understanding the genetic basis of fragrant genes in aromatic rice germplasm resources in Southern Henan and breeding new varieties of high-quality aromatic rice using molecular marker-assisted selection.

Variety identification has great significance from seed production, breeding as well as intellectual property rights point of view to ensure quality seed. The decrease in the morphological variation among the major rice varieties due to narrow genetic base makes it necessary for the development of quick and reliable tests for varietal identification particularly for those working in seed certification and quality maintenance. The study was conducted during 2019-20 at the laboratories of the Crop Improvement Division, ICAR-VPKAS, Almora. Two hundred Indica rice varieties/genotypes were identified on the basis of seed color (phenol, modified phenol, NaOH and KOH) to chemical tests. Phenol test grouped variety into three distinct groups viz., dark brown (15 varieties), brown (59 varieties) and light brown (95 varieties). With the help of modified phenol test these varieties were further sub grouped. NaOH test grouped varieties into two distinct groups i.e., light yellow (177 varieties) and wine red (23 varieties). These tests clearly differentiated the varieties of one group to that of another groups on the basis of seed coat color. However, KOH test was not reliable for the differentiation of these varieties because all these varieties showed light yellow color after treating with KOH solution. Though no individual chemical test was able to distinguish all the varieties, different chemical tests in conjunction were useful in identification of varieties. Thus these simple, reliable and quick tests can be used for varietal identification in rice crop.

With the introduction of high-yielding varieties, price incentives and research inclinations towards modern varieties of non-aromatic rice to achieve self reliance, cultivation of several indigenous scented rice varieties have been neglected. A large number of traditional scented rice has already been lost and many are on the verge of extinction. It is more so for the small and medium-grained non Basmati aromatic rice than the long-grained Basmati types which form the bulk of rice export. Even though the cultivation of traditional aromatic rice varieties in prime areas is fast declining, their aroma and grain quality is highly appreciated by local communities and they are used in several rituals and customs. Future progress in the improvement of scented rice largely depends on immediate documentation, evaluation, conservation of the extant scented rice genetic resources and their effective utilization. The present study is on the documentation and evaluation of some of the aromatic rice germplasm of West Bengal.

Genetic polymorphism and relationships among 30 commercial varieties of Bangladeshi aromatic rice (Oryza sativa L.) were established using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers. Out of fifty 10-mer RAPD primers screened initially, four were chosen and used in a comparative analysis of different varieties of indigenous Bangladeshi aromatic rice. Of the 33 total RAPD fragments amplified, 7 (21.21%) were found to be shared by individuals of all eight varieties. The remaining 26 fragments were found to be polymorphic (78.79%). Pair-wise estimates of similarity ranged from 0.101 to 0.911. Highest genetic diversity was determined between Radhunipagol and Dubsail varieties (0.911). The amount of genetic diversity within aromatic rice germplasm was quite high as determined by the genetic similarity coefficients between varieties. Genetic similarities obtained from RAPD data were also used to create a cluster diagram. Cluster analysis using an un-weighted pair-group method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA) was used to group the varieties and the 30 aromatic rice varieties were grouped into 6 clusters where cluster I includes the maximum number of varieties (9). Cluster VI includes minimum number of varieties (2). This Study offered a rapid and reliable method for the estimation of variability between different varieties which could be utilized by the breeders for further improvement of the local aromatic rice varieties.

Seed vigor of rice is an important trait for direct seeding. The objective of this study was to reveal the relationship between globulin and seed vigor, and then to explore a method for evaluating seed vigor. Several rice varieties with different levels of 52 kDa globulin accumulation were used to compare seed vigor under normal and aged conditions. Results showed that varieties with high globulin accumulation obtained significantly higher seed vigor, measured by germination percentage and germination index, compared with those varieties with low globulin accumulation under normal and aged conditions. Meanwhile, a significantly higher accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was observed in the early germinating seeds of varieties with high globulin accumulation compared to those varieties with low globulin accumulation under normal and aged conditions. Collectively, the globulin content could be applied in the evaluation of seed vigor, which contributes to the selection of rice varieties for direct seeding.

Production and marketing of rice seed involves diverse activities and actors in seed value chain. This study aims to investigate practices and pattern of rice seed production and marketing in Nepal employing survey of 270 seed producers and 240 seed dealers and retailers covering most of the Terai and market accessible hills. The finding showed that seed business activities are concentrated on later generation seeds produced by diverse actors but marketed mainly through seed dealers and retailers. The most popular varieties with highest seed sales are Radha-4, Sabitri and US 312 (hybrid) respectively. Seed dealers selling hybrids receive higher benefits due to their higher market margins. The major constraints faced by seed actors are low profit margins in seed marketing of domestic varieties as compared to exotic hybrids. Improving rice seed business requires strengthening seed production and marketing of domestically developed varieties through entrepreneurship development, networking and policy support.

The ICAR-National Rice Research Institute (NRRI), Cuttack in Odisha develops varieties and agro-technologies for enhancing and sustaining rice production. The Institute so far has released 133 high-yielding varieties of rice for various ecosystems. Some of the varieties have been very popular among the farmers and even became ruling varieties in some states. However, there are no reports on the area covered by NRRI varieties and its impact on incremental gain in farm income. In the present study, area covered by NRRI varieties in the country during 2017-18 was estimated based on the amount of quality seeds provided to the farmers through various ways: breeder seed indent to the DAC; breeder seed and truthfully-labeled seed supplied by the NRRI farm; participatory seed production by NRRI; seed distributed in various programmes and projects of the Institute; front-line demonstrations and on-farm testing; seed of NRRI varieties supplied by the private entrepreneurs and disseminated from farmers to farmers etc. A validation exercise was conducted to cross-check the estimated areas under NRRI varieties. The analysis showed that currently NRRI varieties cover about 8.0 million ha (Mha) i.e., 18% of rice area of the country. West Bengal has the largest area of 2.26 Mha, followed by Odisha with 2.18 Mha. Total production of rice with NRRI varieties is 27.80 million tons (Mt) with the value of Rs.48,643 crores per annum. Further, incremental production and income with NRRI varieties considering 5% more than the existing popular varieties is estimated to be 1.39 Mt and Rs.2,432 crores per annum, respectively. Over the years, indents of breeder seed (BS) of NRRI varieties have increased considerably indicating growing popularities of NRRI varieties among the farmers in different states.

The ICAR-National Rice Research Institute (NRRI), Cuttack in Odisha develops varieties and agro-technologies for enhancing and sustaining rice production. The Institute so far has released 133 high-yielding varieties of rice for various ecosystems. Some of the varieties have been very popular among the farmers and even became ruling varieties in some states. However, there are no reports on the area covered by NRRI varieties and its impact on incremental gain in farm income. In the present study, area covered by NRRI varieties in the country during 2017-18 was estimated based on the amount of quality seeds provided to the farmers through various ways: breeder seed indent to the DAC; breeder seed and truthfully-labeled seed supplied by the NRRI farm; participatory seed production by NRRI; seed distributed in various programmes and projects of the Institute; front-line demonstrations and on-farm testing; seed of NRRI varieties supplied by the private entrepreneurs and disseminated from farmers to farmers etc. A validation exercise was conducted to cross-check the estimated areas under NRRI varieties. The analysis showed that currently NRRI varieties cover about 8.0 million ha (Mha) i.e., 18% of rice area of the country. West Bengal has the largest area of 2.26 Mha, followed by Odisha with 2.18 Mha. Total production of rice with NRRI varieties is 27.80 million tons (Mt) with the value of Rs.48,643 crores per annum. Further, incremental production and income with NRRI varieties considering 5% more than the existing popular varieties is estimated to be 1.39 Mt and Rs.2,432 crores per annum, respectively. Over the years, indents of breeder seed (BS) of NRRI varieties have increased considerably indicating growing popularities of NRRI varieties among the farmers in different states.

Variety identification has great significance from seed production, breeding as well as intellectual property rights point of view to ensure quality seed. Forty varieties of rice were identified on the basis of seed colour (phenol, modified phenol and NaOH), seedling response (GA3 and 2, 4-D) to chemical tests and electrophoresis of soluble seed proteins (SDS-PAGE). Though no individual chemical test was able to distinguish all the genotypes, different chemical tests in conjunction were useful in identification of varieties. The SDS-PAGE of seed proteins was able to identify all the 40 genotypes of different origin and can be employed effectively for identification of these rice varieties. Dendrogram of the data indicated the wide diversity of the varieties released from Andhra Pradesh with similarity ranging from 0.36 to 0.98. Based on the response of 40 rice varieties to biochemical techniques and total soluble protein profiles through SDS- PAGE, a comprehensive ‘seed key’ has been developed for rapid varietal identification.

Aroma is one of the main characteristics that guide rice purchases worldwide. Aromatic rice varieties are generally less adapted to biotic and abiotic stresses. Among the abiotic constraints, drought stress causes considerable yield losses. This review describes advances in breeding for aroma and drought tolerance in rice and investigates the possibility of combing these traits in one variety. Some of the major quantitative trait loci that have been discovered for drought tolerance were recently introgressed into aromatic varieties. However, more details on the performance of developed lines are still needed. Furthermore, there are not yet any published reports on the release of aromatic drought-tolerant rice varieties.

Grain quality characters is important parameters to access consumer’s preference of rice.Aromatic rices are highly preferred due to their pleasant aroma and palatability. Twenty Onediverse aromatic rice varieties including Pusa Basmati-1 used as a check were evaluated inrandomized block design with three replications for various physico – chemical and cookingquality characters. The statistical analysis revealed highly significant differences among thevarieties under study for various quality characters. The highest kernel length was recordedin Khao Dawk Mali 105 (8.33mm) followed by KCN 80152 (7.89 mm) and Hawn Kikwai(7.72mm), which may be utilized as donor for developing long grains varieties. Overall fivevarieties, namely Khao Dawk Mali – 105, Pakistani Basmati, Khao Hawn, Basmati Sathi andBasmati Champaran were identified superior among of them for most of the characters, andalso superior over Pusa Basmati -1 which can be used as donor for quality improvement as wellas for consumption and export purposes. High GCV, PCV, genetic advance coupled with highheritability were recorded for the gel consistency, gelatinization temperature, water uptake,head rice recovery and grain yield, indicating the genetic variance for these characters areprobably due to their high additive gene effects and phenotypic selection for these traits will behighly rewarding.

A field experiment evaluated the effect of different doses of composted organic fertilizer made from rice straw on the yield of three local aromatic rice varieties of Luwu Regency in the safe growing season (rainy season). The local aromatic rice varieties were Ngappa, Sassa, and Latimojong varieties, and four doses of composted organic fertilizer from rice straw, namely 0, 4, 8, and 16 tons/ha, were used as treatment variables. The experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomized Block Design (CRBD) with two factors and three replications. At harvest, data were collected on various characters that contributed to the yield of aromatic rice. The results showed no characters were affected by the interaction of variety and compost dosage. Ngappa variety produced the highest dry grain yield per hectare with 3,834 kg/ha, while the highest average production of local Sulawesi aromatic rice was with the application of 16 tons per hectare of rice straw compost in this experiment which produced 4,241.78 kg of paddy per hectare.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a fundamental staple crop, feeding billions and sustaining livelihoods worldwide. Amid the global food security context, rice holds a pivotal role, demanding increased efficiency and productivity to meet the dietary demands of a growing global population. Emphasizing seed quality and vigor is crucial in achieving these goals. Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) responds to the dynamic agro-climatic conditions by introducing rice varieties tailored to Tamil Nadu's unique agricultural landscape. This research paper examines the seed vigor of TNAU released rice varieties within the seed chain. The study was conducted in a completely randomised design, the study assessed seed vigor in terms of radicle emergence time, mean germination time, germination percentage, speed of emergence, shoot length, root length, days to first count, days to final count, vigour index – I, vigour Index – II, electrical conductivity, and field emergence. Seed vigor also impacts storage potential. This study results shows that the rice varieties were categorized into three groups based on seed vigor. Twelve exhibited high seed vigor potential including ADT 51, CO52, TRY 1, TRY3, TKM13, ADT39, ADT 54, BHAVANI, ASD16, ADT37, ADT43, and ADT 53. Six showed medium potential including CO 53, ASD 19, IW Ponni, TKM 9, ADT 42, and ADT 45. Eight had low seed vigor potential including CO 50, ADT 52, TPS5, VGD 1, ADT 38, ADT 46, CO 51, and MDU 6. These classifications aid informed seed management and cultivation decisions, highlighting the suitability of high-vigor varieties for direct seeding and improved agricultural productivity.

Farmers’ use of subpar rice seed has a substantial impact on the production of rice harvest since it may result in the spread of disease and pests, the incapacity of crops to adapt to climate change, poor soil quality, and bad plant structure. In this context, the situation mentioned earlier has a detrimental impact on farmers' financial earnings as well as an escalation in expenses related to input procurement and crop management, thereby influencing the overall welfare of farmers. Therefore, this study was carried out to identify the selection of rice seed varieties within five seasons of cultivation among farmers and the effect of using quality rice seed varieties on rice cultivation activities. The study employed the descriptive quantitative research approach, and the survey instruments were administered to a sample of 95 rice farmers residing in the AFO F-IV Sungai Limau MADA area, Yan, Kedah. The results of the study found that most respondents used the MR297 rice seed variety for each planting season due to their confidence in the agronomic characteristics of the variety. The findings also indicate the impact of using quality varieties recommended by agricultural agencies. These include increased production, crop tolerance to weather factors, higher resilience, and resistance to disease attacks. This situation has real impacts, including increased farmers' income, lower costs of purchasing production inputs, and farmers’ well-being. This has several consequences for technological advancements in creating high-quality rice seed varieties and their usage by farmers, which can boost rice output, the economy, and the well-being of the farmers, in addition to assuring the security of the nation's rice supplies.

Germplasm is a valuable source of genetic diversity that supports crop improvement efforts in any breeding programme but it must first be fully characterised for economically valuable traits before it can be effectively utilised. In rice (Oryza sativa), the development of new varieties with improved aroma requires correct phenotyping and prior knowledge of the available genes and alleles governing the aroma trait in the gene pool. Correct phenotyping and genotyping can be achieved using sensory methods and functional markers associated with polymorphisms that define the aroma genes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the aroma status of rice accessions and to assess for the various alleles of badh2 gene using functional markers. A total of 56 rice accessions were evaluated at National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI) in Uganda for their aroma using sensory methods and a molecular marker to differentiate between aromatic and non- aromatic accessions. The aromatic accessions were then evaluated for variations within the betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase2 (badh2) gene responsible for aroma in rice using functional markers. Sensory evaluation of aroma identified 23 accessions to be aromatic; while 33 were non-aromatic. Molecular results identified 20 accessions as aromatic; while 36 accessions were non-aromatic. Functional marker analysis indicated the presence of badh2-E7 allele in 20 aromatic accessions within this collection that could be employed in the breeding programme for the rice aromatic trait. Key words: badh2 alleles, functional markers, Oryza sativa

Seed vigor, an important characteristic of seed quality attributes, determines the rate of early, rapid, uniform germination, emergenceand growth of strong seedling in any environmental condition. In the present set of experiment, 44 rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties wereassessed for different seed vigor component traits. For evaluation of these traits, basic statistics, correlation, principal component (PC) andcluster analysis were carried out to obtain genetic diversity for seed vigor traits and early seedling vigor among rice varieties specifically to select the best varieties and important seed vigor traits for its possible use in future rice breeding programme. The estimation of descriptive statistics of 20 quantitative seed vigor-related traits indicated existence of variability among the varieties. The 44 varieties were grouped into five clusters on the basis of average linkage and dendogram. Varieties in Cluster I are considered to possess very high vigor traits and cluster IV with least seed vigor traits. Principal component (PC) analysis showed first 5 PCs having Eigen value >1 explaining 77.01% of the total variation with different seed vigor traits. In the biplot analysis between PCs 1 and 2, the varieties remained scattered in all four quadrants, showing large genetic variation in quantitative traits. Seed vigor index-I, seed vigor index-II, seed dry weight, shoot length, reserve mobilization, germination percentage, dehydrogenase, mean germination rate, germination speed, and mean germination time contributed to high variability among the varieties. The seed vigor traits were positively correlated with germination percentage, shoot length, seedling dry weight, speed of germination, mean germination rate, reserve mobilization, superoxide dismutase, dehydrogenase and alpha-amylase. The positive correlation among these seed vigor-contributing traits suggested that these characteristics are important for direct selection of high seed vigor varieties and early emergence.

In general, aromatic rice is included in a special rice class according to geographical indications because its quality and aroma characteristics depend on the region, it cannot be cultivated anywhere (Ministry of Agriculture Number 48 of 2017 concerning special rice). Non-aromatic rice is local rice that is cultivated and used to produce output or results in the form of local rice. On the other hand, aromatic rice farming is not carried out by many farmers, especially farmers in Seluma Regency, in fact there are only a few of them. The aim of this research is to examine comparative aromatic and non-aromatic rice farming in Talo District, Seluma Regency. The determination of the research location was carried out purposively, with the consideration that the research location was a farmer group that was active and continuously cultivated aromatic and non-aromatic rice, namely the Muda Sepakat farmer group and the Seijoan farmer group. The profit from rice farming in two aromatic and non-aromatic varieties in Talo District, Seluma Regency is that in the aromatic rice business, it can be seen that the average profit received during each planting season is IDR. 20,391,000, while the average profit for non-aromatics in one planting season is IDR. 15,850,500. so the difference in profit between the two varieties is Rp. 4,540,500. Aromatic rice farming is more profitable than non-aromatic rice. Key words: Comparative; Aromatic; Non Aromatic

More than 250 rice varieties are grown in Indonesia from new superior varieties and local varieties with aromatic, non-aromatic aromas and pigmented rice. Rice quality is one factor that must be considered in addition to high productivity. Generally, the quality of grain and rice quality in Indonesia have met the quality standards set based on SNI 0224-1987/SPI-TAN/01/01/1993 and SNI 6128:2020. Ricequality is determined by several factors such as grain appearance, nutritional value, cooking and eating quality and become one of the foremost considerations for rice buyers. Such information can be utilized as basic data of character of genetic resources on assembling of new superior varieties by rice breeders. Those information can be used as a descriptive information for farmers and rice productivity, high yield, and better rice quality. Good quality local cultivar can be used as parents for the formation of new superior varieties.

Resistance of twentyone rice varieties to Bacterial Leaf Blight. Bacterial leaf blight is one of the most important diseases of rice plants. Resistant Variety is one of safe, effective, and environment friendly alternative controls to suppress the bacterial leaf blight on rice. The objectives of this research were to find the most resistant varieties against bacterial leaf blight, and to study the yield of inoculated rice varieties. The research was carried out experimentally. This experiment was arranged in Randomized completely block design with 22 treatments and three replicates. Varieties of IR64 as control for susceptible varieties. Observed Variables were incubation period, disease intensity, seed weight per panicle, and seed weight per hills. The result of this research showed that variety IR 70 was the most resistant variety to bacterial leaf blight. Variety having highest yield was Rojolele with seed weight per hill was 31.17 g.

The availability of molecular marker systems allowed estimating the relationships among various taxa. This study was aimed at assessing the genetic diversity among ten aromatic rice (Oryza sativa L.) pools from Bangladesh by means of randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. These varieties were evaluated for polymorphisms after amplification with 10 decamer primers. A total of 60 RAPD fragments were generated among the assessed varieties with a polymorphism percentage of 80. Cluster analysis by the unweighted pair group method of arithmetic means (UPGMA) showed that these 10 varieties could be placed into two groups with a similarity ranging from 65 to 86% depicting adjacent association between Rajbhog and Kalijira‐12, whereas Maloti belongs to a separate group maintaining maximum distance from rest of the varieties. The analysis revealed that the intervarietal genetic relationship of several varieties is related to their center of origin. As expected, most of the varieties have a narrow genetic base. The present results could be used for the selection of possible parents to generate a mapping population and utilized by the breeders for assessing the genetic diversity of rice genotypes.Plant Tissue Cult. & Biotech. 27(2): 217-225, 2017 (December)

The usage of qualified seed is one of practices in intensification strategy to minimize the rice yield gap. Unfortunately, its availability in North Sumatera Province is difficult to find. One of the measures to solve the scarcity is by maintaining the existence of the Seed Resources Management Unit (SRMU) and Seed Grower. This study has specific objectives, to inform the total potential production, the kind of varieties and the distribution of certified rice seed from SRMU and Seed Grower and to estimate the opportunity to enhance the certified rice seed sustainability. A descriptive method was used for this study by using observation and comparative analysis techniques. The results show that there are 4,693.5 ton of certified rice seed generated from SRMU and Seed Grower, which is Inpari 32, Mekongga and Inpari 42 are the dominated varieties. This study also found that the majority of certified rice seeds were distributed to Deli Serdang, Serdang Bedagai and Labuhan Batu Regency. By comparing the necessity of certified rice seed which is resulting from the total raw rice land area with the existing production, the existence of SRMU and Seed Grower is significantly needed to support the sustainable certified rice seed in North Sumatera Province.

As an effort to overcome problems in rice cultivation system, it is necessary to use new technologies and innovations. This study aims to determine the physical and nutritional quality of grain and milled rice from 2 varieties of rice using several planting systems. The research was conducted using a Completely Randomized Design of factorial pattern, consisting of 2 factors with 3 replications. The factors were: a) Planting system (S1 = Cubic S2 = Double row 2: 1, and S3 = Twin seed) and b) Rice varieties (V1 = Ciherang; V2 = Inpari 10). The observation parameters include: physical quality of grain, rice milled quality, physical quality of rice and rice nutrition. The results showed that the cubic planting system produced a higher empty grains than the double row and twin seed planting system. The twin seed planting system, yielding lime green grains and yellow broken grains lower than other planting systems, both on rice varieties of Ciherang and Inpari 10. Grains from Ciherang variety had a thinner shell and a higher hardness level of rice compared to grain of Inpari 10 variety, resulting in higher milled rice and head rice, but lower in broken rice and rice groats contents. It can be concluded that: a) the physical quality of rice was not affected by the planting system, but it was significantly affected by the rice varieties; b) the planting system and rice varieties used in this study did not have significant effect on the nutritional quality of the rice produced.

Fusarium moniliforme is one of the important seed-borne fungi responsible for foot rot disease in rice. The study was conducted at the Plant Pathology Division of NARC, Khumaltar from July- December 2019 to find out the level of seed infection of F. moniliforme in different varieties of rice from mid-hills of Nepal. A total of 20 seed samples of different varieties of rice with 240 seeds of each sample were tested following a deep-freeze blotter method distributing 80 seeds per replication and maintaining 3 replications. Seed to seedling transmission test was carried out under screen house conditions. Two hundred seeds of each highly infected five varieties from laboratory test data were planted in eight pots, twenty-five seeds per pot, and categorized into four replications. Component plating was done to determine the location of F. moniliforme infection in a seed. Data analysis was done using STAR at a 5% level of significance. There was a significant difference among all the varieties. The highest incidence of F. moniliforme infection was found in seeds of Khumal-9 variety and lowest in Fan-10 variety. From seed to seedling transmission test, Khumal-4 variety was found highly susceptible to foot rot among the 5 varieties planted. Transmission percentage of disease from seed to seedling was found ranging from 16.19-72.31%. Equally, Component plating concludes that seed coat, as well as endosperm, was the location of F. moniliforme infection in rice seed. Foot rot being one of the serious diseases of rice at present time researches should be done more on this for its effective management and control. Seed health status testification before taking seeds to the field should be done so that timely control like seed treatment could be applied to control the outbreak of the disease in the field.

Strategic food crops production such as rice, maize and soybean are determined by harvested areas multiplied by productivity, while productivity is affected by availability of highquality seed of modern varieties which is adaptive to both biotic and abiotic stress. This study aims to construct a nationwide network and capacity building in supporting village seed production groups (VSPGs) for disseminating modern varieties to increase productivity. VSPGs constructed based on community seed system in corresponding to the national seed system and supported by breeder seed management unit network between national research institutes and assessment institute of agricultural technology. The seed production was implemented by a VSPGs on farmer field school with field laboratory 3-4 ha to introduce new modern varieties and quality seed production at once. The seeds of the available varieties in-situ 44 adopted 19 of the 133 varieties for rice, while the maize seeds available 8 were adopted 5 out of 86 varieties, and for soybean seeds there were 14 and adopted 7 of the 17 varieties released in the last 12 years. Acceleration in-situ seed provision can be pursued through integrated seed supply network, capacity building and market access to speed up and adoption of modern varieties.

Field trials were conducted in the dry and wet seasons of 1998 at Samaru (11°11' N, 07° 38' E, 686 m above sea level) in the northern Guinea savanna of Nigeria, to investigate the potential of cinosulfuron and CGA152005 seed treatments on the reaction of upland rice varieties to Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth. Seven varieties of upland rice formed the main plots treatments while four levels each of cinosulfuron at 0.1, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 g/l and CGA152005 at 0.008, 0.016, 0.032 and 0.064 g/l, as well as two no herbicide treatments of dry sowing and distilled water-soaked planting were assigned to the subplots. The experiment was laid out in a split plot design and replicated three times. The resistant varieties FARO 40 and WAB 56-50 did not support Striga emergence and also produced grain yields which were the maximum, or comparable to the maximum. FARO 11, a susceptible variety, produced high grain yields in spite of support for early, high Striga emergence. In spite of delayed emergence of Striga on FARO 38 and FARO 48, these varieties, as well as FARO 46 and FARO 45, supported high Striga emergence, exhibited high crop reaction scores to Striga and produced low grain yields. The seed treatment of upland rice varieties with cinosulfuron at 0.2 to 0.6 g/l and CGA152005 at 0.032 and 0.064 g/l significantly delayed Striga emergence compared with the lower rates. After seed treatment with cinosulfuron at 0.6 g/l, the susceptible rice variety FARO 38 and the resistant variety WAB 56-50 produced rice grain yields comparable to the maximum obtained with FARO 40 given seed treatment with CGA 152005 at 0.064 g/l. The significant interactions of varieties of upland rice and herbicide seed treatments on the number of days to first Striga emergence, Striga shoot count and crop reaction to Striga confirm the differential influence of various concentrations of the herbicide seed treatments on the virulence of Striga hermonthica on varieties of upland rice.

There is conflicting informations regarding the advantages of planting of stock seed (SS) over Extension Seed (ES) classes. An experiment to study the effect of different seedclasses on grain yield and yield components of five rice varieties was carried out at two locations i.e. Sukamandi and Muara Field Station during the wet and dry season of 2009. The treatment consisted of five rice varieties, namely: Ciherang, Mekongga, IR64, Cigeulis and Situ Bagendit, and their respective seed classes: namely breeder seed, foundation seed, stock seed and extension seed. The experiment was arranged in a split plot design with three replications, where rice varieties were as main plots and seed classes as sub plots. Variables to be evaluated consisted of: quality of seed before sowing, plant growth, yield components and grain yield. Performance of the observed variable of each rice variety derived from four different seed-classes in each location and planting season were not significantly different. Differences of seed classes only affected the percentage of seed purity. There was no significant difference on the grain yield and the seed yield obtained from different seed classes of each variety. These results disprove the belief that the higher seed class the higher productivity, which was found to be a wrong perception. Seed certification is designed to maintain the genetic purity of variety and not to increase the productivity.

Aphelenchoides besseyi is a seed borne nematode caused white tip disease. Infested rice seeds are beneficial inoculum source forA. besseyi widespread. The objective of this research was to determine the occurence and development of symptom level caused by A. besseyi in rice seed varieties. The research was done by detecting A. besseyi in rice seed using Hoshino and Togashi method and counting the nematode population in the seed; observing the incubation time and measuring disease incidence every week. The result revealed that A. besseyi was found in 16 of 17 varieties, i.e. R1 IR64, R2 IR64, R3 IR64, R1 Situbagendit, R2 Situbagendit, Inpari 33, R1 Memberamo, R2 Memberamo, R3 Memberamo, R1 Way Apo Buru, R2 Way Apo Buru, Mekongga, Pepe, Ketan, Sintanur, and Ciherang.A. besseyi infection increased every week in many varieties depend on quantitative (statistics) and qualitative (symptom) indicators. There were 4 varieties have to be investigate further because they were infested by A. besseyi>30 nematodes/100 seeds, i.e. R1 Way Apo Buru, R1 Situbagendit, Ketan and R3 IR 64. A practice that is also required is the elimination of A. besseyi inoculum in rice seed before cultivate.

This paper reviews the constraints and opportunities of hybrid rice development in Indonesia. Indonesia has released more than a hundred hybrid rice varieties; Indonesian Center for Rice Research (ICRR) developed 21 varieties. Extensive trials were conducted on the various aspects of seed production by government sectors and private companies. Significant progress has been made in hybrid rice seed production, with seed yield increasing from 1 t/ha to 3 t/ha. Various problems should be considered to develop a good seed production system. The constraints are the low outcrossing rate, shortage of suitable land, high cost and labor, lack of trained personnel, climatic fluctuations in rainfall and temperature, and limited hybrid rice seed grower. Private sectors investment in hybrid rice has been increased. Positive support from government and private companies will boost hybrid rice’s adoption rapidity. Collaboration of hybrid rice dissemination across institutions was a meaningful way to encourage hybrid rice adoption. Optimizing seed production technologies could significantly increase the present level of hybrid seed yield. The opportunities are an increase of rice demand, various materials genetic, distribution of rice ecosystem, and public-private sector partnership that developed on hybrid seed production to accelerate the adoption of hybrid rice. It supports not only the research and development but also the dissemination and adoption.

Abstract Background and Aims Understanding variation in seed longevity, especially within closely related germplasm, will lead to better understanding of the molecular basis of this trait, which is particularly important for seed genebanks, but is also relevant to anyone handling seeds. We therefore set out to determine the relative seed longevity of diverse Indica rice accessions through storage experiments. Since antioxidants are purported to play a role in seed storability, the antioxidant activity and phenolic content of caryopses were determined. Methods Seeds of 299 Indica rice accessions harvested at 31, 38 and 45 d after heading (DAH) between March and May 2015 and differing in harvest moisture content (MC) were subsequently stored at 10.9 % MC and 45 °C. Samples were taken at regular intervals and sown for germination. Germination data were subjected to probit analysis and the resulting parameters that describe the loss of viability during storage were used for genome-wide association (GWA) analysis. Key Results The seed longevity parameters, Ki [initial viability in normal equivalent deviates (NED)], −σ−1 (σ is the time for viability to fall by 1 NED in experimental storage) and p50 [time for viability to fall to 50 % (0 NED)], varied considerably across the 299 Indica accessions. Seed longevity tended to increase as harvest MC decreased and to decrease as harvest MC increased. Eight major loci associated with seed longevity parameters were identified through GWA analysis. The favourable haplotypes on chromosomes 1, 3, 4, 9 and 11 enhanced p50 by ratios of 0.22–1.86. Conclusions This is the first study to describe the extent of variation in σ within a species’ variety group. A priori candidate genes selected based on rice genome annotation and gene network ontology databases suggested that the mechanisms conferring high seed longevity might be related to DNA repair and transcription, sugar metabolism, reactive oxygen species scavenging and embryonic/root development.

Increasing rice production can be achieved by applying technological innovations such as the use of new superior seed varieties that are easily adopted by farmers. Seed variety contributed the most to increasing rice production by 56,1% as a production component. This research was conducted in Belanti Siam Village, Pandih Batu District, and the Pulang Pisau Regency. The choice of location and respondents was purposive with the consideration that Belanti Siam Village is a rice farming center that use of various rice varieties every year. This study analyzed farmers’ preference levels for potential seed sources to be produced, namely Inpari 32 Hewar Daun Bakteri and Inpari Padjajaran Agritan. The research was conducted from September 2021 to January 2022 through surveys and field observations of 20 seed breeders and four officers. Data were collected through direct interviews, using a questionnaire consisting of several parameters to determine farmers' preferences and responses. Secondary data were obtained from The Central Kalimantan BPS data. The results showed that the characteristics of resistance to pests and diseases were the most important factors for farmers in selecting varieties, followed by the production characteristics. Resistance to pests and diseases is the most important characteristic because this condition can lead to crop failure. In the vegetative phase, farmers preferred the Inpari Padjajaran Agritan variety (0.38), whereas in the generative phase, they preferred Inpari 32 Hewar Daun Bakteri (0.43 – 0.55). Farmers preferred the Inpari 32 Hewar Daun Bakteri variety (0.68) for resistance to pests and diseases.

The seed production feasibility of approved hybrid varieties of rice were assessed using 15 commercially approved varieties comprising four public hybrids. Higher seed yield potentiality and earliness in maturity were the two most important indicators for popularizing hybrid rice variety in Bangladesh. The field performance of the approved hybrid rice varieties were found to vary significantly for different traits. Maximum outcrossing potential was observed in SL08HA followed by BRRI hybrid dhan2A but F1 seed yield per plant was the highest in BRRI hybrid dhan3A due to its high tillering ability followed by BRRI hybrid dhan2A, ACI1A and Heera2A. Among the tested entries F1 seed production potentiality of BRRI hybrid dhan3A was maximum indicated its commercial prospect of large scale seed production. Public bred hybrid BRRI hybrid dhan3 and BRRI hybrid dhan2 has immense potentiality for large scale commercialization but BRRI should ensure the quality of parental lines seed as well as supply sufficient amount of seeds according to the demand. Private company hybrids ACI1H and Heera2H have good commercial prospects but seed production under Bangladesh conditions needs to be fine tune.

In Africa, rice is produced and is a source of food energy in most developing countries. But its cultivation faces to brown spot disease, caused by Bipolaris oryzae (Breda de Haan) Shoemaker, which is a serious seed-borne and seed transmitted disease of rice worldwide.The aim of this study was to screen rice varieties for resistance to brown spot disease in field conditions inYaoundé. A completely randomized Fisher block design with three repetitions was used during 2 growing seasons (2015 and 2016). Growth, yields and disease (incidence and severity) parameters were evaluated on four rice varieties (Nerica 3 and 8, White rice and Kamkou). Results show that height of the Nerica 8 variety (86.03cm) and the number of tillers of Kamkou variety (21.66) were significantly highest compared to others varieties (P<0.05) at 59 Days After Sowing (DAS). There was no significant difference on disease incidence for the different rice varieties at the end of rice plant cycle. However disease severity was lower on Nerica 3(2.71%) and Nerica8 (2.05%) varieties and higher on White variety (4.57%). Hence, Nerica 3 and 8 varieties were more tolerant to brown spot disease than others varieties. Overall, Nerica 3 (3.68 t ha-1) and Kamkou (3.51 t ha-1) varieties resulted in higher yields than white rice 28.93 t ha-1.

In this research, 25 species from the gene pool of plant genetic resources of the Rice Research Institute based on the characteristics of the varieties and 9 high-quality yields that can be grown in different and highly saline conditions, regionalized varieties were selected. Obviously, seed germination, seedling thickness and pre-harvest storage performance of those varieties were studied. Further development of rice in different saline conditions, efficient use of natural and other resources, increase of productivity and its quality was researched. In the experiment, in strongly saline soils, in the 4th variant with Cl ion 0.1 - 0.2%, the germination rate was 10.1-34.9% in early ripening varieties of rice, 17.8-25.6% in medium ripening varieties, 11.6-23.0% in late ripening varieties. However, in the 5th variant of the very strongly saline experiment, where the Cl ion content in the soil was higher than 2.0%, the seed germination in early ripening varieties of rice was 0.0-32.9%, 0.0-11.7% and 0-12.3% in middle ripening, and in late ripening varieties, respectively.

This paper examines the gendered trait preferences for rice and their role in the adoption of improved rice varieties among men and women rice farmers in Ghana. Four hundred rice farm households and 261 consumers were surveyed across 20 communities using a simple random sampling technique. Kendall’s coefficient of concordance, Tobit, and the multivariate probit regressions were used in the analyses. The results show differences in preferences for cooking quality traits and postharvest traits among men and women farmers. There was also a gender differential in the intensity of purchasing rice among men and women consumers. The results show that rice farmers’ decisions to adopt any of the four varieties—AGRA rice, Jasmine, Togo Marshall, or Amankwatia—are influenced by age, being married or indigenous, years of schooling, off-farm activities, farming experience, household size, farm size, FBO membership, extension contact, market proximity, and access to credit. To improve the rice value chain in Ghana, rice breeding efforts should consider varieties with trait preferences such as being tolerant of pest and diseases, aromatic, early maturing, and tolerance to shattering. However, to enhance the consumption of improved rice varieties, breeding efforts should target varieties that are aromatic, good textured, and have medium-sized grains for female consumers, while for male consumers preferred varieties would be less easily broken, white grain color, translucent, and with short cooking time.

With the 2019 implementation of the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), prices of ordinary white rice are expected to go down as a response to the influx of cheaper rice imports. This could put the local farmers at a disadvantage and could provoke them to reduce rice cultivation. Production of aromatic rice, a type of specialty rice with pandan-like scent induced by 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2AP) compound, could serve as a viable enterprise for the local farmers. Covering the provinces of Oriental Mindoro and Apayao, this study was conducted to produce baseline information and gain a comprehensive understanding of the production and potentials of aromatic rice. A survey was carried out to obtain 2017 cropping season farm-level data from 82 market-oriented farmer-respondents. Descriptive statistics and costs and returns structure were employed for data analysis. Results showed that venturing into aromatic rice cultivation can be a viable enterprise for the farmers as a coping mechanism with the ill effects of RTL. Yield level of modern aromatic rice varieties is at par with the national average. Aromatic rice cultivation also appeared to be profitable. Findings showed that the current local aromatic rice industry has high potential for expansion and opportunity for import substitution. Furthermore, top aromatic rice varieties in the country must be looked into to increase profitability. With these conclusions, strategies for yield enhancement, cost reduction, and premium quality preservation are recommended.