Evaluating Rice for Salinity and Submergence Using Pot-Culture Provides a Systematic Tolerance Assessment at the Seedling Stage

The initial pot culture study at Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Agricultural College and Research Institute, Madurai in rice was conducted to confirm the tolerance mechanism of the donor parents for salinity and submergence separately towards the physiological traits. The parents (ADT 43 and IWP) and donor (FL 478 for salinity and FR 13A for Submergence) were raised in a paper cup maintained separately for salinity and submergence then it was transplanted pots. In each pot, five seedlings were planted and totally fifteen plants were maintained in saline and non-saline condition with three replications. Observations were recorded for all the plants in both saline and non-saline conditions. Regarding for submergence screening, the mud pots along with 14 days old seedlings were drowned in concrete cement tank for 14 days of complete submergence. After 14 days of complete submergence, the samples were collected from each replication both in normal and submergence condition. Hence from the foregoing physiological factors the tolerant donor FL 478 had high level of stable chlorophyll content and also chlorophyll a/b ratio was found unwavering in tolerant donor. Besides the donor parent FR 13A had a ability to retain almost the same level of carbohydrate, starch, non-structural carbohydrate and soluble sugar content under submergence condition. Facts from the study can help rice breeders and other scientists screen and select salinity and submergence tolerant rice breeding lines for variety development and related research, and use the lines identified as tolerant in developing new cultivars.