Morphometric characterization of seeds of Deep Water Rice varieties of Assam

Abstract

The significance of rice in Assam is recognized by every individual living here. The dietary carbohydrate requirement of the population is met primarily by rice. However, many districts of Assam such as Lakhimpur are heavily affected by flood during the monsoon season due to which the fields are submerged with water. During this period, conventional rice varieties cannot withstand the water stress and thus cannot be cultivated successfully. Therefore, local farmers of highly flood affected areas cultivate Deep Water Rice varieties during this season. DWR serves as an alternate crop for the farm dependent inhabitants of the district. DWR varieties not only display an incredible ability to tolerate and escape submergence caused by flood, they are also found to be enriched with various nutrients, vitamins, minerals as well as antioxidants. The present study focuses on the characterization of 21 deep water rice landraces based on morphometric parameters that are locally cultivated in Lakhimpur district of Assam. This study will inculcate plant breeders with necessary information for selecting desired traits in future breeding programmes.