Drought Response of Rice in Northeastern Thailand Assessed via Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

Drought isa major constraint in many rainfed areas and affects rice yield. We aimed to characterize the physiological changes in rice in response to drought using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Eighty rice landrace seedlings were subjected to drought in the greenhouse using a PEG 6000. Physiological parameters, including total chlorophyll content, relative water content, electrolyte leakage, and biochemical changes were evaluated. Based on the FTIR results, the landraces were divided into three main groups: tolerant, moderately tolerant, and susceptible. Principal component analysis revealed spectral differences between the control and drought stress treatment groups. Lipid, pectin, and lignin content increased after drought stress. The biochemical components of plants at different drought tolerance levels were also compared. The lipid (CH2 and CH3), lignin (C=C), pectin (C=O), and protein (C=O, N–H) contents were the highest in the drought-tolerant cultivars, followed by the moderately tolerant and susceptible cultivars, respectively. Cultivar 17 and 49 were the most tolerant, and the functional groups were identified and characterized using FTIR. Overall, these results will be useful in selecting parental cultivars for rice breeding programs.

Problems and prospects of cultivation of indigenous rice landraces of Uttar Dinajpur, West Bengal, India with special reference to Tulaipanji

The district Uttar Dinajpur of West Bengal is bestowed with very fertile soil, which helps to grow paddy and other agricultural crops. Cultivation of indigenous rice has been practiced by farmers since ancient times. Indigenous rice has several socio-economic, ecological and genetical aspects but the major problem lies in their comparatively low output. The diversity of indigenous rice landraces has been drastically reduced due to the introduction of high yielding varieties (HYVs). Through extensive survey it has been found that about 74 indigenous rice land races were available in different blocks of the district, but among them only about 20 varieties are now in farmers' hand while more than 70% of them are not cultivated in practical field. In India, the indigenous aromatic rice landrace Tulaipanji (GI 530) is only grown in Raiganj sub-division of Uttar Dinajpur and small pockets of Dakshin Dinajpur district of West Bengal. Due to its aroma and quality this rice could make the position in global market through proper marketing. A phylogenetic study of the rice landraces has been performed and observed that only three of them i.e., Tulaipanji, Radhunipagal and Gobindavog are closely related to each other, which also has the close lineage with the Asian wild-rice (Oryza rufipogon). Today's society demands the interaction and incorporation of scientific technology for the upliftment of indigenous rice landrace sustainable cultivation. Really it has the immense scope and prospects, which ultimately save the human life from notorious diseases.

Performing Toraja rice ritual, communicating biodiversity on YouTube: A study of conservation on rice landrace

The proliferating public interest in conservation can be explored by monitoring what people say and what people do on social media platforms. YouTube is one of the resources for digital conservation studies as the users are allowed to archive and share content. Meanwhile, networks visualization provided by computer software is powerful to preserve vernacular languages since text(s) tagging is one of the main processes in gaining data. The present study aims to answer research questions using a transdisciplinary approach to sociology, ethnobotany, and communication science. Thus, this research enquires; (a) how might conservation of Toraja rice landraces be practiced continuously? (b) what are the current forms of conservation that are developed and accepted as Toraja socio-cultural activities? (c) how do social media platforms, YouTube, for instance, contribute to the conservation efforts in rice landraces? (d) what are the social implications of conservation education through social media? In order to answer the above questions, six different research methods, namely, observations, in-depth interview, mapping distribution of rice landrace varieties in six fields of studies, calculating Index of Cultural Significance on rice accessions for practicing conservation rice landrace. Digital conservation and conservation culturomics were also measured using NodeXL and API for visualizing the graph of YouTube videos network and calculating the frequency of words occurrence according to search string Toraja rice ritual. The outcome from the study indicates the current forms of conservation by cultivating and consuming rice landrace varieties on everyday life and ritual, as well as preserving rice and agriculture images on wood carving motifs, folk song, and folk dance. The digital conservation efforts are demonstrated by archiving and broadcasting rice rituals on YouTube videos. With an increase of frequency on word occurrences by Toraja language on hashtags on YouTube videos, the users were contributing to participatory culture for preserving vernacular language and promoting agricultural innovations in digital conservation ecosystems and environmental communication.

Assessment of Morphological, Genetical and Diversity Studies in Landraces of Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Background: Landraces displayed a wide range of genetic diversity in rice farming system. Landraces or local types have been used as the sources for the characters such as resistance to pest, disease, abiotic stresses and genetic sources for some physicochemical characters. Various types of landraces of rice are available in the major rice growing regions of Karnataka and hence, their characterization and establishment in uniformity is essential, to consider them as variety and can be protected under PPV and FR act. Investigation was undertaken to assess genetic variability and diversity in fifty one landraces of rice. Methods: The materials comprised of fifty one landraces of rice collected from Zonal Agricultural and Horticultural Research Station, Brahmavar and the experiment was conducted in randomized complete block design with two replications, following spacing of 20 cm between rows and 15 cm between plants at College of Agriculture, Shivamogga, during the Kharif 2018. Result: The present experiment will be useful for the farmers and researchers to identify the valuable germplasm for utilization in rice yield improvement and seek protection under Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act and also for protection of rice landrace like Gulvadisanna and Kayame registration made under PPV and FRA.

Discovering genetic diversity of Changmaogu, a rice landrace, for conservation and rural development

Changmaogu is a very rare and endangered rice landrace cultivated in a very limited area by Lama people, a branch of Bai ethnic group in Lanping County, Yunnan, China. No study on this precious landrace had been reported. This study was intended to explore the genetic diversity so as to develop strategy for conserving Changmaogu. The Changmaogu samples were compared with other three varieties (Hejing 16, Nipponbare and Hongxiangmi), using 24 pairs of SSR markers. Among all varieties, Changmaogu showed the richest genetic diversity. Cluster analysis also showed that Changmaogu can be distinguished in the genetic distance of 0.68. These data suggested that landrace is of great significance for the selection of rice varieties under the harsh environment and the acquisition of parents in the breeding work. The high altitude, low temperature and complex microbial community may be the important factors of genetic diversity in Changmaogu. The influence of ‘agriculture-processing-marketing’ mode of landraces should be continuously tracked. The strategy for conservation and sustainable development of Changmaogu was proposed in the present paper. Highlights - Changmaogu, a very rare and endangered rice landrace cultivated in a very limited area by Lama people, has more abundant genetic diversity than the three compared cultivars-Hejing 16, Nipponbare and Hongxiangmi, which enables it to adapt to changing environmental conditions, ensures local food supply and agricultural economic development, and makes it an effective supplement to the rice gene pool. - The result of UPGMA clustering analysis based on genetic distance led to the formation of three clusters, which Changmaogu had further genetic distance compared with hybrid rice Hejing 16 and rice parents Nipponbare, further revealing the utilization potential of Changmaogu in crop breeding. - The genetic diversity of Changmaogu and Hongxiangmi was compared to reveal the important position of Changmaogu in the protection of landrace, and to explore the potential impact of commercial activities on the genetic diversity of landrace. - According to the case of Changmaogu, this paper puts forward reasonable and effective strategies for the protection, which can be derived and applied to the protection of other landraces.

Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Kerala Rice Landraces Using Genotyping-By-Sequencing

Researchers stand at the vanguard of advancement and application of next-generation sequencing technology for creating opportunities to guide more realistic and applicable strategies for the sustainable management of genetically diverse rice resources. This study is a pioneering effort where GBS-SNP markers were employed to assess the tremendous genetic diversity and structure of rice landrace collections from northern Kerala. Kerala holds an immense diversity of rice landraces that encountered selection pressures of environmental heterogeneity, biotic and abiotic stresses, however competent rather provide good yields, whereby drawing the attention of the rice breeding sector. The population structure and diversity analyses separated the accessions into three distinct subpopulations with a huge amount of genetic variation within subpopulations. Nei’s genetic distance analysis confirmed the existence of strong genetic differentiation among rice landrace populations. The values of FST and Nm established the farmers’ effort to preserve the genetic purity of rice landraces despite the extensive seed exchange programs across the states of India. Moreover, this low level of gene flow among subpopulations could provide the opportunity for well-adapted combinations of genes to be established by natural selection. The clustering pattern based on SNP markers furnished sufficient knowledge in identifying rice genotypes that eliminates the likelihood of duplication among indigenous cultivars. Similar clustering patterns of genotypes revealed shared genetic characters among them. Collectively these analyses can be used to completely understand the population of rice landraces in Kerala while contributing insights toward the evolution and selective pressures underlying these unique landraces.

Rice Landrace Conservation Practice through Collective Memory and Toraja Foodways

Many studies on rice landrace (Oryza sativa sbsp. indica) have been conducted by biodiversity, ethnobotany, and agroecology disciplines. The importance of rice landraces as genetic resources and the basics of human civilizations. Conservation landraces in Tumbang Datu and Pongbembe nowadays are affected by the following socio-cultural constraints: a) decline numbers of local varieties after the regional government-imposed funding to local communities to substitute new-high yield varieties, b) rice rites and landrace conservation are on the brink of extinction. This research explores daily behaviors that contribute to rice landrace conservations through the sociological approach of collective memory and symbolic interaction. Today’s generations use new meanings and symbols of rice derived from collective memories and virtues. Various interviewees practice mnemonic devices (what, why, who, where, when, and how) that reflect foodways. According to Blumer, social structures are networks of interdependence among actors that place conditions on their actions. In these networks, people act and produce symbols and meanings of rice to interpret their situations and to have their own set in a localized process of social interpretation. Moreover, the Toraja language is used as a bridge in communicating the past, present, and future to strengthening collective identity. This research uses a qualitative method to explore rice landrace conservation using open-ended questions, in-depth interviews, and Focus Group Discussions. A free-listing method was followed to gather interviewees’ collective memories of rice landraces. Findings show that a combination of methods, tradition-based conservation, and current scientific-technology-based conservation become a practice for promoting, educating, and stimulating the public and researchers to engage in landraces conservation. These findings suggest that the socio-cultural ecosystem and Blumer’s social network support new networks to deliver science in agricultural innovation policy. The results showed that collective memories and foodways create ways that would benefit rice landrace conservation the most.