PHYSIOLOGICAL AND YIELD RESPONSE OF SOME UPLAND RICE VARIETIES TO RE-WATERING AFTER IMPOSED SOIL MOISTURE STRESS

Abstract

A pot experiment was conducted in the Screen house of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta,
October, 2011 (late dry season) to study drought recovery ability of 13 upland rice varieties exposed to
soil moisture stress (20 days) at three growth stages (vegetative, reproductive and grain filling stage).
The experiment was in completely randomized design, with three replicates. Under moisture stress
significantly higher growth recovery, more erect canopy and flatter leaf surface were obtained in all the
rice varieties at vegetative growth stage than other growth stages with increasing duration of re-
watering. Under stress condition NERICA 4 maintained a significantly higher leaf area (27.50 cm2 and
40.18 cm2), plant height (53.45 cm and 67.62 cm) and number of tillers (1.67 and 1.67), but with a
depressed number of leaf, slanted leaf posture and curved leaf especially during the later stage of its
growth (Reproductive and grain filling stage respectively). It could be concluded that NERICA 4 had
higher recovery ability than other rice varieties in drought prone upland ecology.