Variability of Cold Injuries in Boro Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most important food crops in the world. Among the various abiotic stresses cold stress is a serious problem which affects the crop productivity. The most serious problems of boro rice have been the cold stress. Low temperature induced during injury during germination, seedling, flowering and grain filling stage. The common symptoms of cold injury include poor germination, stunted seedling growth, poor vigour, seedling chlorosis, mortality and prolongation of duration which have direct bearing on the grain yield per unit area. Therefore breeding for cold tolerance in rice has recently assumed greater importance.