Drought and salinity are the most widespread soil problems, posing a big threat to food security in rice growing regions. The present study evaluated the performance of eleven rice genotypes using morphological and physiological parameters, under induced drought and salinity conditions. The seedlings were raised in 5 kg of homogenous soil in plastic bags in the greenhouse . For the drought experiment, each bag was watered with 200 ml of water twice daily until plants reached the five-leaf stage when watering was suspended for 2 weeks for the drought stressed plants but not suspended for the control plants. The experiment was a 2 × 11 factorial and the set up was arranged using the completely randomized design with three replications. Data were taken on Plant height, Number of tillers, leaf length, Number of green leaves, Number of dead leaves, Leaf rolling score (LRS) and Rate of water loss. The salinity experiment was set up in a similar manner except that the plants were irrigated twice a day for 2 weeks with 200 ml of treatment solution containing either 0 mM NaCl or 75 mM and data were collected on plant height, number of tillers, shoot fresh weight, shoot dry weight, Na + and K + concentrations, relative water content and chlorophyll content. Data from both experiments were subjected to Analysis of variance test using the GenStat software 10 th edition and the means separated using least significant difference test. Individual stress response index (ISRI) was calculated for each parameter and the means used in grouping the varieties. Of the genotypes evaluated, four (FARO 44, NERICA 2, NERICA 8 and NERICA 5) were identified as tolerant, two (NERICA 4 and FARO 57) as moderately tolerant, while the rest were found to be sensitive to drought. Equally, two varieties (FARO 44 and RAM 137) stood out in the salinity screening as tolerant varieties, five were moderately tolerant while four (FARO 64, FARO 52, NERICA 2 and FARO 55) were clearly susceptible. FARO 44 is the only genotype that showed tolerance to both drought and salinity. The identified drought and salinity tolerant rice genotypes from this study can be recommended as genetic sources for future breeding programs for drought and salinity tolerance in rice.
Afiukwa, C.A., Faluyi, J.O., Atkinson, C.J., Ubi, B.E., Igwe, D.O. and Akinwale, R.O. (2016) Screening of Some Rice Varieties and Landraces Cultivated in Nigeria for Drought Tolerance Based on Phenotypic Traits and Their Association with SSR Polymorphism. African Journal of Agricultural Research, 11, 2599-2615. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJAR2016.11239
Food and Agriculture Organization (2017) The Future of Food and Agriculture—Trends and Challenges. Rome, Italy.
Global Rice Science Partnership (2013) Rice Almanac. 4th Edition, International Rice Research Institute, Los Banos.
Thakur, P., Kumar, S., Malik, J.A., Berger, J.D. and Nayyar, H. (2010) Cold Stress Effects on Reproductive Development in Grain Crops: An Overview. Journal of Environmental and Experimental Botany, 67, 429-443. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2009.09.004
Serraj, R., McNally, K.L., Slamet-Loedin, I., Kohli, A., Haefele, S.M., Atlin, G., Kumar, A. (2011) Drought Resistance Improvement in Rice: An Integrated Genetic and Resource Management Strategy. Plant Production Science, 14, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1626/pps.14.1
Ahmad, M.S., Wu, B.R., Wang, H.Q. and Kang, D.M. (2020). Field Screening of Rice Germplasm (Oryza sativa L. ssp. japonica) Based on Days to Flowering for Drought Escape. Plants, 9, 609. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9050609
Srividhya, A, Vemireddy, L.R, Sridhar, S, Jayaprada, M., Ramanarao, P.V., Hariprasad, A.S., Reddy, H.K., Anuradha, G. and Siddiq, E. (2011) Molecular Mapping of QTLs for Yield and Its Components under Two Water Supply Conditions in Rice (Oryza sativa L.). Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology, 14, 45-56. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12892-010-0023-x
Saini, H.S. and Westgate, M.E. (1999). Reproductive Development in Grain Crops during Drought. Advances in Agronomy, 68, 59-96. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2113(08)60843-3
Mustac, I., Filipovic, V., Filipovic, L., Ondrasek, G. and DragutinPetosic. (2019). Agricultural Management Strategies for Countering Drought Conditions in Eastern Croatia Drought-Detection and Solutions, intechopen.com.
Atkinson, N.J. and Urwin, P.E. (2012) The Interaction of Plant Biotic and Abiotic Stresses: From Genes to the Field. Journal of Experimental Botany, 63, 3523-3543. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/ers100
Bargaz, A., Zaman-Allah, M., Farissi, M., Lazali, M., Drevon, J., Maougal, R.T. and Georg, C. (2015) Physiological and Molecular Aspects of Tolerance to Environmental Constraints in Grain and Forage Legumes. International Journal of Molecular Science, 16, 18976-19008. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms160818976
Morpho-Physiological Parameters
Stress Response Indices
Munns, R. and Tester, M. (2008) Mechanisms of Salinity Tolerance. Annual Review of Plant Biology, 59, 651-681. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.arplant.59.032607.092911
Xiong, L.M. and Zhu, J.K. (2001) Abiotic Stress Signal Transduction in Plants: Molecular and Genetic Perspectives. Physiologia Plantarum, 112, 152-166.
Kumar, K., Kumar, M., Kim, S.R., Ryu, H. and Cho, Y.G. (2013) Insights into Genomics of Salt Stress Response in Rice. The Rice Journal, 6, Article No. 27. https://doi.org/10.1186/1939-8433-6-27
Wang, W., Vinocur, B. and Altman, A. (2003) Plant Responses to Drought, Salinity and Extreme Temperatures: Towards Genetic Engineering for Stress Tolerance. Planta, 218, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-003-1105-5
Lone, A.A., Jumaa, S.H., Wijewardana, C., Taduri, S., Redona, E.D. and Reddy, K.R. (2019). Drought Stress Tolerance Screening of Elite American Breeding Rice Genotypes Using Low-Cost Pre-Fabricated Mini-Hoop Modules. Agronomy, 9, 199. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9040199
Singh, B., Reddy, K.R., Redona, E.D. and Walker, T. (2017) Screening of Rice Cultivars for Morpho-Physiological Responses to Early-Season Soil Moisture Stress. Rice Science, 24, 322-335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsci.2017.10.001
Uyoh, E.A., Ntui, V.O., Umego, C., Ita, E.E. and Opara, C. (2019) Morphological and Molecular Screening of Rice Accessions for Salt Tolerance. African Journal of Biotechnology, 18, 612-621. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJB2019.16801
Kumar, S., Dwivedi, S.K., Haris, A.A., Prakash, V., Mondal, S. and Singh, S.K. (2015) Screening and Identification of Rice Genotypes for Drought Tolerance at Reproductive Stage under Rainfed Lowland Conditions. Journal of Agrisearch, 2, 105-111.
Lilly, J.M and Fukai, S. (1994) Effect of Timing and Severity of Water Deficit on Four Diverse Rice Cultivars. 1. Phonological Development, Crop Growth and Grain Yield. Field Crops Research, 37, 225-235. https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-4290(94)90101-5
Swapna, S. and Shylaraj, K.S. (2017) Screening for Osmotic Stress Responses in Rice Varieties under Drought Condition. Rice Science, 24, 253-263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsci.2017.04.004
Shereen, A., Shirazi, M.U., Khan, M.A. and Mumtaz, S. (2015) Salt Tolerance Potential of Upland and Lowland Rice in Physiological Perspectives. Pakistan Journal of Botany, 47, 2055-2061.
Chinnusamy, V., Jagendorf, A. and Zhu, J.K. (2005) Understanding and Improving Salt Tolerance in Plants. Journal of Crop Science, 45, 437-448.
Tanveer, U.H., Javaid, A., Shafqat, N. and Rashid, A. (2009) Morpho-Physiological Response of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Varieties to Salinity Stress. Pakistani Journal of Botany, 41, 2943-2956.
Zeng, L.H. and Shannon, M.C. (2000) Salinity Effects on Seedling Growth and Yield Components of Rice. Crop Science, 40, 996-1003. https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2000.404996x
Gregorio, G.B. and Senadhira, D. (1993) Genetic Analysis of Salinity Tolerance in Rice (Oryza sativa L.). Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 86, 333-338. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00222098
Ali, N., Yeasmin, L., Gantait, S., Goswami, R. and Chakraborty, S. (2014) Screening of Rice Landraces for Salinity Tolerance at Seedling Stage through Morphological and Molecular Markers. Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants, 20, 411-423. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12298-014-0250-6
Zhang, Q., Li, J.J., Zhang, W.J., Yan, S.N., Wang, R., Zhao, J.F., Li, Y., Qi, Z., Sun, Z. and Zhu, Z.G. (2012) The Putative Auxin Efflux Carrier OsPIN3t is Involved in the Drought Stress Response and Drought Tolerance. The Plant Journal, 2, 805-816. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-313X.2012.05121.x
O’Toole, J.C and Cruz, R.T. (1979) Leaf Rolling and Transpiration. Plant Science Letters, 16, 111-114. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-4211(79)90015-4
Hiscox, J.D. and Israelstam, J.F. (1979) A Method for the Extraction of Chlorophyll from Leaf Tissue without Maceration. Canadian Journal of Botany, 57, 1332-1334. https://doi.org/10.1139/b79-163
Roy, S.J., Huang, W., Wang, X.J., Evrard, A., Schmoeckel, S.M., Zafar, Z.U. and Tester, M. (2013) A Novel Protein Kinase Involved in Na+ Exclusion Revealed from Positional Cloning. Plant, Cell and Environment, 36, 553-568. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3040.2012.02595.x
Islam, R., Mukherjee, A. and Hossin, M. (2012) Effect of Osmopriming on Rice Seed Germination and Seedling Growth. Journal of the Bangladesh Agriculture University, 10, 15-20. http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbau.v10i1.12013
Todaka, D., Shinozaki, K. and Yamaguchi-Shinozaki, K. (2015) Recent Advances in the Dissection of Drought-Stress Regulatory Networks and Strategies for Development of Drought-Tolerant Transgenic Rice Plants. Frontiers in Plant Science, 6, 84-104. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2015.00084
Frydenvang, J., van Maarschalkerweerd, M. and Carstensen, A. (2015) Sensitive Detection of Phosphorus Deficiency in Plants Using Chlorophyll a Fluorescence. Journal of Plant Physiology, 169, 353-361. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.15.00823
Aluwihare, Y.C., Ishan, M., Chamikara, M.D.M., Weebadde, C.K., Sirisena, D.N., Samarasinghe, W.L.G. and Sooriyapathirana, S.D.S.S. (2016) Characterization and Selection of Phosphorus Deficiency Tolerant Rice Genotypes in Sri Lanka. Rice Science, 23, 184-195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsci.2015.10.001
Farooq, M., Kobayashi, N., Ito, O., Wahid, A. and Serraj, R. (2010) Broader Leaves Result in Better Performance of Indica Rice under Drought Stress. Journal of Plant Physiology, 167, 1066-1075. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jplph.2010.03.003
Pandey, V. and Shukla, A. (2015) Acclimation and Tolerance Strategies of Rice under Drought Stress. Rice Science, 22, 147-161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsci.2015.04.001
Loreto, F., Tricoli, D. and Di, M.G. (1995) On the Relationship between Electron Transport Rate and Photosynthesis in Leaves of the C4 Plant Sorghum bicolor Exposed to Water Stress, Temperature Changes and Carbon Metabolism Inhibition. Australian Journal of Plant Physiology, 22, 885-892. https://doi.org/10.1071/PP9950885
Nooden, L.D. (1988). The Phenomenon of Senescence and Aging. In: Noodén, L.D. AND and Leopold, A.C., Eds., Senescence and Aging in Plants, Academic Press, San Diego. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-520920-5.50007-9
Rahman, M.T., Islam, M.T. and Islam, M.O. (2002) Effect of Water Stress at Different Growth Stages on Yield and Yield Contributing Characters of Transplanted Aman Rice. Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, 5, 169-172. https://dx.doi.org/10.3923/pjbs.2002.169.172
Pantuwan, G., Fukai, S., Copper, M., Rajatasereekul, S. and O’Toole, J.C. (2002). Yield Response of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Genotypes to Drought under Rainfed Lowlands. Field Crops Research, 73, 169-180.
O’Toole, J.C. and Cruz, R.T. (1980) Response of Leaf Water Potential, Stomatal Resistance and Leaf Rolling to Water Stress. Plant Physiology, 65, 428-432. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.65.3.428
Hsiao, T.C., O’Toole, J.C., Yambao, E.B and Turner, N.C. (1984) Influence of Osmotic Adjustment on Leaf Rolling and Tissue Death in Rice (Oryza sativa L.). Plant Physiology, 75, 338-341. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.75.2.338
Ehanayake, I.J., O’Toole, D.J. and Garrity, D. (1985) Inheritance of Root Characters and Their Relations to Drought Resistance in Rice. Crop Science, 25, 927-933. https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci1985.0011183X002500060007x
O’Toole, J.C. and Moya, T.B. (1978) Genotypic Variation in Maintenance of Leaf Water Potential in Rice. Crop Science, 18, 873-876. https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci1978.0011183X001800050050x
Munns, R., Schachtman, D. and Condon, A. (1995) The Significance of a Two-Phase Growth Response to Salinity in Wheat and Barley. Functional Plant Biology, 22, 561-569. https://doi.org/10.1071/PP9950561
Ashraf, M.Y. and Sarwar, G. (2002) Salt Tolerance Potential in Some Members of Brassicaceae Physiological Studies on Water Relations and Mineral Contents. In: Ahmad, K.R. and Malik, A., Eds., Prospects for Saline Agriculture, Springer, Dordrecht, 237-245. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0067-2_26
Lutts, S. and Guerrir, G. (1995) Peroxidase Activities of Two Rice Cultivars Differing in Salinity Tolerance as Affected by Proline and NaCl. Biologia Plantarum, 37, 577-586. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02908842
Kargbo, S.S., Showemimo, F.A., Porbeni, J.B.O. and Akintokun, P.O. (2019) Response of Rice Genotypes to Salinity under Hydroponic Conditions. Agro-Science, 18, 11-18. https://doi.org/10.4314/as.v18i3.3