Capstone internship at the UPLB Rice varietal improvement team under the Institute of Crop Science (ICropS) with a mini-study on : deep seeding response and drought tolerance in rice recombinant inred lines (RILs) at seedling stage for rainfed direct-seeded production systems

Date

5-2026

Adviser

Erica Mae D. Reyes

Principal

Buela, Mabel S.

Abstract

As an agricultural country, the Philippines relies heavily on rice cultivation across diverse production ecosystems. However, climate change has increasingly challenged yield stability in the rainfed ecosystem. At the same time, emerging technologies such as drone-assisted direct seeding require rice varieties with improved drought tolerance and strong seedling emergence under deep sowing conditions. This study evaluated the deep seeding response and drought tolerance of 84 rice recombinant inbred lines (RILs) from the cross between C10932WH-7-3-2-1-3-3 x PANDAN at the seedling stage. Specifically, it aimed to: (a) assess key seedling traits under deep seeding conditions; and (b) evaluate drought tolerance at germination using polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000). The experiment was conducted at the Institute of Crop Sciences, University of the Philippines Los Baños, in collaboration with the Rice Varietal Improvement Team (RVIT) during midyear 2025, using randomized complete block design (RCBD) with two replications and tolerant check varieties. Traits measured included vigor index (VI), germination rate (GR), shoot length (SL), root length (RL), coleoptile length (CL), fresh weight (FW), and oven dry weight (ODW), recorded at 14 days after sowing (DAS) for PEG and 21 DAS for deep seeding. Results showed significant differences in GR and VI between the control (3cm) and deep seeding (8cm) treatments. Among the RILs, C11344-174-4 exhibited the highest performance under deep seeding, comparable to the check variety UPL Ri 5. Further analysis identified C11344-174-4, C11344-160-8, C11344-162-9 and C11344-161-13 as consistently top-performing across both deep seeding and drought experiments. These overlapping genotypes demonstrated strong seedling vigor, stable germination, and favorable stress tolerance indices, indicating their potential for combined adaptation to deep sowing and drought stress. The results showed promising candidate RILs for development of rice varieties suited for rainfed direct-seeded production systems, where early establishment and resilience to water-limited conditions are critical for improving yield and stability.

Language

English

Location

UP Rural High School

Document Type

Capstone

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS