Screening and resistance of traditional and improved cultivars of rice to drought stress at Badeggi, Niger State, Nigeria

Abstract

One hundred and nine rice varieties were screened for drought to select promising varieties for hybridization programs and to be used in drought prone environments. The experiment was conducted in an open screen house in non-rainy days. The test entries were laid out in a randomized complete block design replicated three times. They were planted in a single row of 5 m each spaced at 20x20 cm. The plants were watered for 21 days before the stress was imposed. Leaf rolling score was taken at 18 days of water stress. Drought score was recorded at 28 days of water stress and 7 days after reapplication of water to access recovery. Result indicated that most varieties had scores between 4-6 that is at susceptible level. Two varieties had score of 2 and eight had score of 3. At 28 days of stress Danboto had a score of 4 and was better than other varieties. Thirteen entries could be selected for both drought tolerance and recovery. Danboto a local variety was the best variety with drought score of 4 and recovery score of 2. These entries were expected to provide higher yields after severe drought than those entries with high susceptibility.