Drought is a major problem that threatens rice production worldwide. The development of drought-tolerant rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes is vital in overcoming such challenges. The study’s objective sought to investigate the diversity of drought responses of 33 elite rice cultivars of Indonesia. Two sets of experiments proceeded, covering germination and seedling stages. Imposing drought stress treatment in the germination stage used 25% polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000, while in the seedling stage, treating rice germplasms with water stress took place in a soil-filled concrete tank. The selection of the best germplasm ensued using the multi-trait genotype-ideotype distance index (MGIDI). Based on the MGIDI selection, six drought-tolerant rice cultivars succeeded in their identification, including Inpari 13, Inpari 35, Inpari 28, Inpari 37, Inpari 23, and Inpari 43. The rice variety Inpari 13 showed close similarity to the ideotype in response to drought stress at the germination stage, whereas Inpari 35 and Inpari 43 exhibited close similarity to the ideotype in response to drought stress during the seedling stage. The selected drought-tolerant rice from an elite germplasm collection is a valuable genetic source for rice improvement and, in the short term, for direct deployment of the genotype in drought-prone environments.
Rice (O. sativa L.), germplasm, drought tolerance, MGIDI, Inpari 13
This study identified drought-tolerant rice (O. sativa L.) genotypes based on a multi-trait index selection, which will be a valuable genetic resource for rice improvement.