Effects of water deficit on physiology and morphology of three varieties of nerica rainfed rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Abstract

Water deficit is a major problem in rice grown under rainfed conditions. It affects plant growth and development and ultimately leads to a considerable yield reduction or crop failure. Although the rice crop is susceptible to water deficit, there is a marked genotypic variation in rooting pattern in rice in response to water deficit. Drought tolerant cultivars have deep and thick roots. The thick roots are positively correlated with xylem vessel area, which are vital to the conductance of water from soil to the upper parts of the plants to meet the evaporative demand. The objective of this experiment was to investigate the possibility that the three developed rainfed rice varieties referred to as, New Rice for Africa (NERICA) and coded as N2, N4 and N11 might reveal cultivars specific diversity in the regulatory mechanisms underlying their different responses to water deficit with a view of …