DISPARITIES IN AROMATIC RICE (Oryza sativa L.) VARIETIES GROWN IN RESEARCH AND FARMER’S PLOTS

Abstract

A 2-factor comparative experimentation was set during the Aman season of 2009 with 10 (1 Modern + 9 local) aromatic rice varieties and two growing environs. The varieties were: BR-34, Zoitha Katari, Sada Katari, Philippine Katari, Kalosoru, Kalojira, Begun Bichi, Radhuni Pagol, Bolder and Malshira. Oppositely, the two growing conditions were: the research plot of the Department of the Genetics and Plant Breeding (GPB), Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University (HSTU), Dinajpur with the recommended package of production; and a farmer’s field of the Kornai village beside HSTU with the farmer’s own cultivation practice. The experiment was conducted in the completely randomized block design (RCBD) with the three replications. The data collected, in total, for fourteen field traits were: days to 50% flowering, number of tillers/hill at the vegetative stage, number of tillers/hill at the flowering stage, plant height at the harvest, panicle length, total tillers/hill during the harvest, number of effective tillers/hill, number of rachillae/panicle, number of spikelet/panicle, sterile grain/panicle, days to maturity, grain length-breadth ratio, 1000 grain-weight, and finally the grain yield/hill. The paired ‘t’ test was utilized to compare the means. In addition, the correlation coefficients were also worked-out for all the fourteen traits assessed. The foremost goals of the investigation were to evaluate the yields’ gaps of those ten varieties under the two sets of environs and to analyze the reasons thereof for the endowment of possible measures to combat those. The outcomes of the study vividly focused that under the research plot the modern variety BR-34 was the topmost yielder (35.95) followed by Kalizira (31.77), Bolder (30.21) and Radhuni Pagal (26.56) while the poorest performer was the local variety Begun Bichi (16.14g/hill). Again, under the farmer’s plot BR-34 gave the utmost yield (29.20) succeeded by Kalizira (24.5) and Bolder (21.67) while the poorest recitalist was Malshira (14.05g/hill). The recitals of the 10 varieties were almost parallel. In addition, there is the scope for the selection of the superior genotype. Nonetheless, there were the yields’ gaps of 12.19 - 18.78% amid the ten varieties under the two environs explored. And the chief rationale was that the farmer’s package of technology was suboptimal for the varieties tested. Finally, for the fulfillment of the impuissance, the doable actions are endowed.