GREEN SUPER RICE GENOTYPES EXHIBITED SUPERIOR MORPHOLOGICAL TRAITS AND HIGHER YIELD ADVANTAGE OVER CHECK UNDER RAINFED LOWLAND CONDITION

Drought, mostly, is major limitation of rainfed lowland rice. Varieties that can escape or tolerate moisture stress are desirable for increasing production and contributing food security of the country as rice is most consumed among the cereals and contribute largely in total cereal production. With objective of identifying early maturing and high yielding rice genotypes having potentiality to escape or tolerate moisture stress, a total of twenty rice genotypes tested in a Randomized Complete Block design. Statistical analysis revealed that genotypes were highly significant for most of the traits under observation. Green super rice genotype HHZ10-DT7-Y1 was found superior in performance for most of the measured morphological traits viz. highest grain yield, thousand grain weight and biomass yield, but found statistically at par with Hardinath- 3 (check) in maturity. Similarly, HHZ1-DT3-Y1-Y1 recorded highest harvest index, number of filled grains/ panicle, earliest days to flowering and maturity. Yield advantage of HHZ lines, except HHZ25-DT9-Y1-Y1, over check was 19 to almost 45 %, and 28.51 to 56. 22% more than national average grain yield in rainfed condition. Water table was lower, and recorded none after 6th week of measurement. Plant height, panicle length, thousand grain weight, harvest index, days to flowering, days to maturity were identified as important traits for future grain yield improvement program based on their heritability study.