Genotype by Environment Interaction of Chlorophyll Reduction in Rice Cultivars Screened for Resistance to Rice Yellow Mottle Disease with Vector Transmission Method

Chlorophyll reduction in rice leaves is a prominent feature of rice yellow mottle virus-infected plants. This research work was carried out to investigate the effect of rice yellow mottle disease on the chlorophyll content of eight differential rice cultivars screened for resistance to rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV) with vector transmission technique. Border row rice seedlings mechanically inoculated with RYMV isolate at 21 days after sowing metamorphosed into infected rows, following which the rice cultivars were sown 15 days after. Two days after sowing the test cultivars, life adults of three vectors (Oxya hyla, Locris rubra and Chnootriba similis) of rice yellow mottle virus were released onto the infected rows inside separate insect-proof screen house to acquire and transmit the virus to the test cultivars. The chlorophyll contents of the leaves were then measured at 42, 56 and 70 days after sowing. The result of the genotype by environment interaction showed that environment exerted the most profound effect on chlorophyll reduction (36.26%) in the rice cultivars screened with O. hyla while the least effect (5.87%) was recorded when the screening was carried out with C. similis. Findings from this research work showed that chlorophyll reduction varied among the rice cultivars at different stages of rice plant. Though, the photosynthetic rate of the rice leaves were not investigated, it could be deduced that this physiological function would invariably reduce in the rice cultivars.

A Joseph et al., 'Genotype by Environment Interaction of Chlorophyll Reduction in Rice Cultivars Screened for Resistance to Rice Yellow Mottle Disease with Vector Transmission Method', International Journal of Agricultural Research, vol. 6(9), pp.691-698, 2011