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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stuttgart, Arkansas » Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #282401

Title: Rice straighthead performance of twelve lines for three years in the natural conditions

Author
item HUANG, BIHU - University Of Arkansas
item YAN, ZOHGBU - University Of Arkansas
item Yan, Wengui

Submitted to: Rice Technical Working Group Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/27/2012
Publication Date: 2/1/2013
Citation: Huang, B., Yan, Z., Yan, W. 2013. Rice straighthead performance of twelve lines for three years in the natural conditions. Rice Technical Working Group Meeting Proceedings. Feb.27-Mar.1,2012. Hot Springs, AR. pg. 69.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Straighthead severely reduces grain yield in rice and previous studies have relied upon inducing straighthead symptoms using arsenic chemicals. The ability to evaluate this disease using natural conditions would be more practical for cultivar improvement. Twelve lines including three commercial cultivars and nine breeding strains of long grain rice were selected to evaluate straighthead disease under natural field conditions at the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff (UAPB) farm (Latitude: 34° 15' N, Longitude: 92° 01' W, Elevation: 232 feet). Selection of the twelve entries was based on an experiment in 2008 where they demonstrated either high yield or high tolerance to straighthead or both. These experimental materials were planted on April 28, May 8, and May 18 in 2009, and repeated in 2010 and 2011. The experimental layout used a randomized complete block design, three replications, and three-row plots that were 5 ft long and spaced 1 ft apart. Grain yields of the twelve entries which were affected by straighthead were greatly reduced. Breeding strains PB-11 and PB-12 showed high tolerance to straighthead consistently for the three years, indicated by a low score 1-2 for straighthead symptoms. Strain PB-2 showed a fair tolerance to straighthead with the scores ranging 3 to 5 over the three years. However, similarly with PB-11 and PB-12, the yield of PB-2 was significantly greater than the control cultivar Francis, which is fairly susceptible to straighthead, across the three years (P<0.001). Straighthead performance of strain PB-13 was unstable among three years with a variation 1 – 7 for its straighthead scores. Consequently, its yield reduction increased along with an increase of its straighthead score each year. Our findings suggest that there is genetic variation for straighthead resistance that can be useful in rice production. Consistent performance of some strains for straighthead symptoms demonstrated the feasibility of establishing this natural field site at the UAPB to evaluate straighthead disease for cultivar improvement.