Abstract

                                Forty rice varieties were screened for cold tolerance by employing 1.TG and estima- ting the content of P and K in shoots and grains at the sub-centre for cold tolerance breeding. Keelagudalur. Estimation of LTG might be useful to screen varieties for early stage low temperature tolerance and the varieties TNAU 20112, KMP 47, Wynad 11, Kattathondi, Peruvaya, Madhu and Intan were highly cold tolerant, while Adakkan 49, AMBT 2, TNAU 4372, TNAU 20105. IET 7024, TNAU 20107, HR 35 and DPI 583 were moderately tolerant at early stage. Adakkan 49, Wynad 11, Kattathondi and Peruvaya also contained more of P and K in their shoot at vegetative stage. IET 7024, DPI 583, Raju- meni, Gandhakesalo and Puspha contained higher P in their grains showing their flower- ing stage cold tolerance.

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