Differential Sensitivity of Rice Cultivars to HPPD-Inhibiting Herbicides and their Influences on Rice Yield

A field study was conducted at Miryang in 2011 to evaluate differential sensitivity of six rice cultivars, three Indica×Japonica rice (long grain, cv. Hanareumbyeo, Hanareum2, Dasanbyeo) and three Japonica rice (short grain, Nampyung, Ilpumbyeo and Junamjosaeng) cultivars, to benzobicyclon, mesotrione+pretilachlor (MP) and butachlor (control) in transplanting rice and their treatment influences on rice yield. All Indica×Japonica rice cultivars exhibited susceptible to both benzobicyclon and MP as reflected by higher visual injury and carotenoid biosynthesis inhibition when compared with Japonica rice cutlivars. The percentage of foliar chlorosis of Indica×Japonica rice was only 0.9~4.7% for benzobicyclon at 13 days after treatment (DAT) and 30.3~64.4% for MP at 5DAT but it increased rapidly to 88.4~91.2% at 12~20DAT. However, most of the Japonica cultivars are tolerant to bezobicyclon and MP. There was no visible leaf chlorosis but carotenoid biosynthesis was slightly inhibited. Based on relative carotenoid content reduction of benzobicyclon and MP to butachlor, the Indica×Japonica rice showed 4.6~15.6 fold higher compared with the Japonica rice. The heading date of the injured rice plant was delayed by 3 days and panicle number per square meter and ripened grain ratio were reduced as compared with the control treatment of butachlor. Rice yield of the Indica×Japonica rice cultivars treated with benzobicyclon and MP was reduced by 7~10%, 3~5%. respectively. The result indicates that rice cultivars vary in tolerance to HPPD-Inhibiting herbicides and Indica×Japonica rices were more susceptible than the Japonica rices to MP and benzobicyclon. Rice yield of the Indica×Japonica rices was also significantly reduced by the those herbicide treatments.