Yield Performance of Some Advanced Aromatic Rice Genotypes in Guyana

Breeding for quality traits is one of the major objectives of the Rice Breeding programs in Guyana and many other countries that are self-sufficient in rice production. Aromatic rice constitutes a special group of rice which is known as the best quality of rice worldwide. It is known for its nut/popcorn-like aroma and taste. This group is estimated to account for only 15-18% of the total rice trade on the world market. They are rated as the best in quality and sell for a much higher price than high quality non-aromatic rice on the international market. Due to this fact, considerable attention has been given towards developing aromatic varieties with the view of allowing the Guyanese farmers the opportunity to enter this niche aromatic rice market and enjoy the premium price offered. So far, the breeding program has released one aromatic variety (viz. GRDB 13) for commercial cultivation in Guyana. Further, more than 200 breeding lines were evaluated and of which 14 elite genotypes were selected for further testing of their yielding ability and agronomic traits for developing and released as an aromatic rice variety. These strains were tested during the spring crop of 2019 at Rice Research Station, Burma, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara, Guyana in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. The study identified three high yielding genotypes viz., G13-113 (7840.5 kg/ha), G13-114 (7761.8 kg/ha) and G17-138 (7526.5 kg/ha) with statistically similar to the high yielding ability as the aromatic check variety, GRDB 13. In addition, all except two genotypes (G13-116 and G17-138), showed good tolerance to lodging. There was significant variability among the aromatic genotypes evaluated for days to maturity, plant height, tillers, grain length, fertility of grains, panicle length and grain weight. Also the aromatic genotypes showed similar excellent milling and cooking qualities as the local varieties.