Rice resilience: Field screening of local landraces for yellow stem borer, Scirpophaga incertulas (walker) resistance

Field evaluations of 50 local landraces against the paddy yellow stem borer (YSB), Scirpophaga incertulas (Walker), were conducted at the College of Agriculture, Vishweshwaraiah Canal Farm, Mandya, during the kharif season of 2022 and the summer season of 2023. The extent of damage caused by YSB across different genotypes was assessed at 30, 60, and 90 days post-transplanting in both seasons. Using the Standard Evaluation System for Rice (SES) developed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), genotypes were classified into various resistance categories based on their mean percentage of incidence. In both kharif 2022 and summer 2023 evaluations, nine genotypes displayed a resistant reaction (score 1), while 27 genotypes were classified as moderately resistant (score 3). Additionally, ten genotypes were categorized as moderately susceptible (score 5), and four genotypes were deemed susceptible (score 7). Importantly, no genotypes was classified as either highly resistant or highly susceptible in either season. The identification of these resistant and moderately resistant genotypes offers significant potential for incorporation into future breeding programs aimed at enhancing resistance to yellow stem borer.