Response of U.S. Rice Cultivars Grown under Non-Flooded Irrigation Management

Achieving food security along with environmental sustainability requires high yields with reduced demands on irrigation resources for rice production systems. The goal of the present investigation was to identify traits and germplasms for rice breeding programs that target effective grain production (EGP) under non-flooded field systems where the crop can be subjected to intermittent water stress throughout the growing season. A panel of 15 cultivars was evaluated over three years regarding phenological and agronomic traits under four soil moisture levels ranging from field capacity (29% volumetric water content; VWC) to just above the wilting point (16% VWC) using subsurface drip irrigation. An average of 690 ha-mm ha−1 water was applied for the 30% VWC treatment compared to 360 ha-mm ha−1 for the 14% VWC treatment. The average soil moisture content influenced several traits, including grain quality. Regression analysis identified six traits that explained 35% of the phenotypic variability of EGP. Four varieties (PI 312777, Francis, Zhe 733, and Mars) were found possessing significant slopes for 10 or more traits that respond to a range in soil moisture levels, indicating that they may offer promise for future rice breeding programs. Furthermore, based on the contrasting responses of four parent cultivars, two mapping populations were identified as potential genetic resources for identifying new quantitative trait loci/genes for improving EGP of tropical japonica rice varieties.