Use of Descriptor Codes in Agro-Morphological Characterization: Qualitative assessment of 20 Land Races of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) from West Bengal

Mitu De

Mitu De Associate Professor, Department of Botany, Gurudas College, Kolkata 700054, West Bengal, India

Abstract

Rice is one of the very few crop species endowed with rich genetic diversity which is embodied in the traditional rice landraces or folk varieties. It is one of the most researched crops. Rice genetic resources and human welfare are intricately interlinked. Rice has shaped the history, culture, diet and economy of billions of people of Asia. The diversity data generated in time and space have been valuable to communities, scientists and policy managers to formulate and implement conservation strategies of in situ, on-farm as well as ex situ conservation and management of genetic resources. West Bengal has rich rice genetic wealth. But this genetic wealth is being silently depleted due to the onslaught of the high-yielding varieties (HYVs) and neglect. Descriptor codes were used for the qualitative evaluation of genetic diversity among the 20 rice genotypes collected from different parts of West Bengal, following the Standard Evaluation System (SES) for rice developed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). There is an urgent need to document, characterize and conserve these varieties.

Keywords: Rice landraces, descriptor codes, qualitative characterization, SES, genetic diversity

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References

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