Abstract:
This study collected and characterized accessions of three indigenous and one cultivated species of the A genome complex of the genus Oryza Linn. with the objective of identifying the valuable botanical and agro-botanical characters in them. The germplasm collection confirmed that the four species of the A-genome complex: Oryza barthii A. Chev., Oryza glaberrima Steud, O. longistaminata A. Chev. and Roehr and O. sativa Linn. are abundant in the savanna agroecology of Nigeria. The restricted occurrence of O. glaberrima suggests that it has attained the status of a lost crop. The species studied have been delineated on the basis of morphometric parameters involving awns, grain length and shape, panicle branching, rhizomatous habit, ligule shape and form, presence or absence of secondary branches and perennial or annual habit. The results have been able to identify botanical attributes for species differentiation and useful agronomic attributes in the wild rice species as genetic resources both for the improvement of O. sativa and possibly some of the wild species per se. These attributes include; insensitivity to photoperiod, long grains, awnlessness, dense panicle, high yield parameters, high food value and tillering habit. Findings also revealed considerable variability in the gene pool of the species studied for the improvement of the rice crop.
Page(s):
229-239
DOI:
DOI not available
Published:
Journal: International Journal of Botany, Volume: 3, Issue: 3, Year: 2007