Adverse effects of climate change-induced temperature and water stress on growth and yield of rice ( Oryza sativa L.) variety Suwandel

Abstract

Climate change due to temperature increment and fluctuations in rainfall has adverse effects on plants and animals. Due to these factors growth and yield of plants are drastically declined. The present study attempted to determine the impact of temperature stress water stresses that would occur as a result of climate change on rice (Oryza sativa L.), selecting the variety Suwandel AC 579 as the model plant. The growth and yield parameters of Suwandel were measured at harvest to determine the impact of temperature stress and water stress, after exposing the rice plants to four treatments, viz. T1: temperature stress, no water stress, T2: temperature stress, water stress, T3: no temperature stress, no water stress (control), and T4: no temperature stress, water stress. The rice plants exposed to temperature stress showed significantly low values (P<0.05) for the height (T1: 75.7±2.68cm and T2: 69.34±3.5 cm) and chlorophyll content (T1: 32.66±0.97 and T2: 24.32±2.53). The yield parameters such as number of productive tillers per plant, number of grains per plant, number of filled grains per plant and test weight showed a significant decline on exposure to temperature and/or water stress further revealing that the rice variety Suwandel will not grow and yield successfully under the predicted climate change. As rice is the staple food of majority of people in the world, in order to meet the demand, high yielding new varieties which are able to overcome the expected climate changes such as increase in temperature and water scarcity have to be developed through breeding programmes.