All India Coordinated Rice Improvement Project Rajendranagar, Hydrabad-500 030
An expanded breeding programme for developing early duration rice varieties with drought tolerance for the rainfed upland areas was initiated at the headquarters of the All India Coordinated Rice Improvement Project, in 1975.
Pedigree method of breeding was adopted. Selections were made under direct seeded condition in the uplands. Selections were also grown under transplanted condition and screened for resistance to blast and rice tuhgro virus disease. The selections were rotated in the process to combine the desirable traits. Yield tests of the promising selections made under direct seeded and transplanted condition indicated the superiority of twelve cultures i.e. IET 7615,IET 7613,IET 7620, IET 7618, IET 7566. IET 7617 and IET 7632 all from the `M 63– 83′ x `Cauvery* IET 7633, IET 7614 (Rasi x White gora), IET 7564, IET 7635 (IRAT 8 X N 22) and IET 7265 (IET 5850 x OR 34–16). The cultures possess drought tolerance (20–25 days), seed dormancy (5–7 days) and resistance to blast. The cultures are being tested in the drought Prone areas as well as in the coordinated trials. IET 7566 and IET 7564 have been includcd for testing in Andhra Pradesh and Assam under the minikit programme.
