Water Stress Induced Changes in Root Traits and Yield of Irrigated Rice under Subtropical Condition

The presence of water or the degree of soil saturation has a direct impact on the root development and function in rice. In this regard, a pot investigation was performed to test the response of root traits and yield components of boro (irrigated) rice. Three boro rice varieties named Binadhan-10, Hira-2 and BRRI dhan 29 were grown at four irrigation regimes, viz. continuous flooding (CF), saturation (S), 75% S and 50% S at Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh, throughout the boro period of 2020-2021. The study was replicated three times by employing a completely randomized design (CRD) method. The study revealed a drastic decline in root attributes at 75% and 50% S. A significant increase in root number (RN), root length (RL), root volume (RV), total dry matter (TDM) and grain yield (GY) under S condition followed by CF was observed. Binadhan-10 exhibited the largest scores of RN (359.00), RL (1577.83 cm) and RV (8.34 cm(3) hill(-1)) at 80 DAT under S condition. Root attributes and GY were found to be substantially and positively associated in all observations. Binadhan-10 performed best with regard to seed output (26.13 g pot(-1)) under S condition. S condition increased the yield of Binadhan-10 in CF, 75% S and 50% S by 4.06%, 23.72% and 46.00%, respectively.

Automated summary

The presence of water or the degree of soil saturation directly affects the root development and function in rice. A pot investigation was conducted to test the response of root traits and yield components of boro rice varieties under different irrigation regimes. The study revealed a decline in root attributes at lower soil saturation levels and observed an increase in root number, length, volume, dry matter, and grain yield under saturated condition.