Phenotypic Screening of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Varieties for Brown Planthopper [Nilaparvata lugens (Stål)] Resistance

The experiments were conducted at Genetics glass house, CPBG, TNAU, Coimbatore to assess the level of resistance in 254 rice accessions (Land races and cultivated varieties) against Brown planthopper (BPH) infestationat seedling stage by the Modified Seed-box Screening Test (MSST). MSST screening results revealed that, among the 254 entries only three entries (Bharathi, PTB 33 and Rathu heenathi) showed higher level of resistance to BPH with a score range from 2.2 to 3.0, while 22 entries were found to be moderately resistant (3.1 to 5.0). Sixty four entries were observed with a range of 5.1 to 7.0(moderately susceptible), however, 136 entries were found to be susceptible (7.1 to 8.9). Among the entries, 29 entries were found to be highly susceptible with a score of 9.0.