Relationship of grain protein content to other grain quality traits in interspecific Oryza sativa L. x Oryza glaberrima Steud. progenies

High protein rice will improve the nutritional status of West African people. Promising varieties require high quality as well as good agronomic performance in West Africa. Fifteen interspecific Oryza sativa x Oryza glaberrima progenies showed a wide range of milled rice protein contents though all were derived from a single cross. These interspecifics were tested in terms of the relationship between protein content and other grain quality traits, i.e., husking yield, milling yield, head rice ratio, thousand grain weight of paddy, milled grain dimensions, milled grain appearance, viscosity parameters and milled rice amylose content. The trial was repeated for three seasons. No grain quality traits consistently showed significant correlation with protein content in all three seasons. Only thousand grain weight had a significant negative correlation in 2 seasons. Between the ten highest and ten lowest interspecific progenies for protein content, significant difference was observed only in thousand grain weight (in two seasons), husking yield, milling yield and minimum viscosity (one season each). Protein content was remotely associated with other grain quality traits in the interspecific progenies in general. Compared to protein content, amylose content strongly influenced grain dimensions and viscosity parameters. Selection of high protein interspecific rice could be made independently of the grain quality traits evaluated.

K Futakuchi, H Watanabe, MP Jones, 'Relationship of grain protein content to other grain quality traits in interspecific Oryza sativa L. x Oryza glaberrima Steud. progenies', Agricultural, Journal, vol. 3(1), pp.50-57, 2008