A. Anna Dural, A. Pattanayak and B.K. Sarma
Abstract
About 10000 indigenous rice cultivars are available in northeastern India and nearly 9000 rice germplasm accessions have been collected since 1955. During the present exploration 397 accessions were collected. Evaluation and characterization of these accessions revealed greater variability in leaf characters, maturity traits and plant height. The desirable traits viz., well exserted panicle, higher leaf area, early as well as late maturing, dwarfism, aroma and biotic and abiotic stress tolerance were present in the rice cultivars and their wild relatives. They may be utilized in crop improvement programmes like ideotype, heterosis and genetic engineering to develop qualities in rice suitable for organic farming and sustainable agriculture.