Rice is the most important crop in India. Currently, it provides 43% of cereal output and 46% of food grain production. India has the greatest area among the countries that grow rice, with 49 million hectares, followed by China. India is the world's second-largest producer of rice, with an estimated 118.9 million tonnes annually, but there is still an opportunity for the development of high-yielding and stress-tolerant varieties to fulfill the demands of the planet's constantly growing population. The current study examined the degree of variability present among CMS lines of rice (Oryza sativa L.) and their hybrids in conducted in randomized block design during Kharif 2020 at Pilikothi Farm of Tilak Dhari Degree College Jaunpur (U.P.). For each replication of the twelve characters, the observations were made on five competing plants of a given genotype that were chosen at random from a plot. Twelve quantitative traits, including seedling height (cm), days to 50% flowering, flag leaf area (cm2), plant height (cm), panicle bearing tillers per plant, panicle length (cm), spikelets per panicle, spikelet fertility (%), test weight (g), biological yield per plant (g), grain yield per plant (g), and harvest-index (%), were observed. Analysis of variance reveals significant genotype-to-genotype variation for each characteristic. For spikelets per panicle, the high estimations of PCV and GCV were calculated (PCV=21.20%, GCV=21.12%). For grain yield per plant, the high estimations of PCV with the modest GCV were noted (PCV=20.58%, GCV=19.40%). Estimates of broad sense heritability ranged from 53.25 percent (spikelet fertility%) to 99.25 percent (spikelets per panicle). Spikelets per panicle (99.25%), biological yield per plant (96.42%), flag leaf area (89.58%), grain yield per plant (88.91%), and plant height (87.55%) all showed strong heritability in the broad sense (>75%). For spikelets per panicle (43.35%), grain yield per plant (37.68%), biological yield per plant (34.97%), flag leaf area (30.93%), and panicle bearing tillers per plant (22.81%), the genetic advance in percent of mean was found to be high (>20%). For plant height, panicle length, and seedling height, moderate (>10–20%) estimates of genetic progress in percent of mean were noted. Hence the selection among these genotypes for these traits will be worthful in planning a breeding programme.

Rice, Oryza sativa, CMS, variability, heritability, coefficient of variation

In any breeding programme planned to improve a trait, it is crucial to have a better understating of the variability and heritability of a population. Because it provides an idea about the breeding schemes to be adopted for the improvement of particular traits. In this sense, the characters spikelets per panicle, biological yield per plant, flag leaf area, grain yield per plant, and plant height had high estimates of heritability and genetic advance indicating additive gene action. So, selection will be rewarding for the improvement of these traits in a breeding programme planned in CMS rice.

Ashwani Kumar Singh, Alok Kumar Singh, Tarkeshwar, Anjali Goldy and Shiv Prasad Maurya (2022). Assessment of Genetic Variability and Heritability in CMS Lines and their F1’s of Rice (Oryza sativa L.). Biological Forum – An International Journal, 14(3): 1595-1598.