Location specific field performance of aman rice cultivars in tidal flood prone ecosystem of Bangladesh
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Agronomy, BD1706 Gazipur, Bangladesh
*Correspondence: aamamun@bsmrau.edu.bd; mannanagr@bsmrau.edu.bd
Abstract:
Cultivation of modern high yielding rice varieties are ecologically limited in a tidal flood (TF) prone area of Bangladesh. Therefore, rice growers are cultivating local rice cultivars that resist tidal water pressure and survive under waterlogged condition in a tidal ecosystem. A farmers’ participatory field experiment was conducted at Wazirpur, Bakergonj and Babugonj upazila of Barisal and Nalchity upazila under Jhalokati districts of Bangladesh to identify location specifies some aman rice cultivars that resist TF and give higher grain yield. There were fifty-sixty local rice cultivars along with five modern rice varieties were included in this trial. The experimental sites were extensively TF prone and 10 to 80 cm of flood water entered into the crop field during active tillering to flowering stage of rice. Data on plant height, yield and yield components were recorded. The results revealed that local rice cultivars performed better than modern one in the experimental sites. Taller plant, production of more panicles per unit area, higher number of grains panicle-1 and heavier grains were the most important traits associated with plant adaptation of aman rice cultivars in tidal areas. Collectively, this study suggested that Dudmona1 and Khoiyamota1 at Wazirpur (2.98 to 3.10 t ha-1); Dishari1 and Sadamota2 at Bakergonj (2.92 to 2.98 t ha-1); Shorna at Babugonj (3.56 t ha-1); Moulata2, Achin and Sadamota2 at Nalchity (2.96 to 2.98 t ha-1) were most promising rice cultivar in terms of adaptation and grain yield.
Key words:
local rice cultivars, lodging, low yield, tidal flood, water pressure