Phenotypic and Genotypic Characterization of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Genotypes for Root Morphology and Yield under Drought Stress

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a major food crop for the world's population which is affected adversely due to drought stress. Our investigation aimed at phenotypic and genotypic characterization of 20 rice genotypes for drought tolerance, shoot-root growth rate, root morphology and yield attributes under drought condition. Genotypes selected for study performed well under drought condition, genotypes like AM-FS-58 and AM-FS-163A exhibited lower yield loss, robust root morphology and higher shoot-root growth rate under drought stress. Genotypic characterization with SSR markers and diversity analysis of these genotypes revealed a high level of polymorphism and diverse genetic composition. Genotypes exhibited polymorphism for SSR markers RM302 and RM212 earlier established to be associated with drought tolerance(13). Thus, many of the genotypes in our study can be used as donor parents for identification and introgression of QTL for drought tolerance and robust root morphology.