Abstract

The drought resistance of progensies of crosses between the cultivated rice and wild rice was tested in their F3 and F4 generations in the field under restricted water supply. These tests revealed that the cultivated low-land rices are unable to withstand drought whereas the hybrids between the cultivated and wild forms showed greater ability to resist drought. The progenies of crosses studied in the two generations were found segregating for drought resistance and drought susceptibility. This is in confirmation with what Ostermayer (1934) found in onts. Very little work on breeding for drought resistance in rice has been done except for the mention made by Srinivasan (1941), who obtained a fow drought resistant cultures from an inter-specific cross, Oryza sativa x Oryza longista- minata (perennis).

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