Division of Plant Physiology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi-110012
To study the role of size and position of spikelets on grain filling in rice, spikelets were removed in various combinations at flowering in two medium duration cultivars Jaya and Pusa 743. Removal of spikelets from the secondary branches significantly improved the weight of individual grain and number of high density grain (HDG)/panicle of they primary branches. Removal of spikelets from the primary branches, on the other hand, did not significantly increase the weight of individual grain and number of HDG/panicle on the secondary branches. Hence, the presence of increasing number of HDG on primary branches appears to be implicit in breeding strategy.
