Comparative performance of the advanced generation of anther culture: derived photoperiod insensitive variants in rice variety Wagwag

In 1997 dry season, 14 putative photoperiod insensitive plants were identified from 1,920 anther culture-derived R1 plants of a photoperiod sensitive rice cv. Wagwag. R2 seeds were harvested and used for agro-morphological evaluation in a pot experiment. R3 seeds were obtained from this experiment, and with three Wagwag accessions, were planted in the screenhouse, in 1998 dry season, for further evaluation. The R4 plants of these variants were subjected to bacterial leaf blight (BLB) screening and grain quality evaluation. This paper presents the results of the evaluation for the putative Wagwag variants at R3 and R4 generations. No differences were observed among the entries in the following traits: blade pubescence, basal leaf sheath, collar and internode color, ligule shape, flag leaf angle, awning. Variations were observed in culm angle, panicle type, secondary branching and exsertion, apiculus, stigma and sterile lemma color, shattering. The variants exserted panicles earlier (82-93 days to heading) than the accessions (93-128 days). Plant stature ranged from semidwarf (110 cm) to tall (130 cm) for both variants and accessions. The variants had less total and productive tillers, and comparable proportion of productive tillers to two accessions. The variants had shorter panicles, more and heavier filled grains per panicle. Seventy percent of the variants had harvest index higher than the accessions. The milling potential of most variants and accessions scored fair for both percent hull and percent brown rice. Most variants scored premium while the accessions scored grade 1 for total milled and head rice. Chalky grains was highly variable. Most entries had medium grain size and intermediate grain shape. Two variants and the accessions had intermediate (20.0-25.0 percent), while others had low (10.0 -20.0 percent) amylose content. Similarly, two variants were rated resistant to BLB and the others, including the accessions, were susceptible