Abstract
Hydromorphic soils have a low drainage capacity and are used mainly for the cultivation of irrigated rice. This condition favors the development of anaerobic microorganisms that produce phytotoxic substances. The objective of this study was to evaluate the response of rice mutants to the phytotoxicity caused by butyric acid under anaerobic conditions. The experiment consisted of four treatments arranged in a randomized block design. Plants of 40 families were grown in a hydroponic system and the measured variables were root length and length of aerial part (LAP), number of roots (NR) and root dry matter (RDM) and aerial part dry matter (DMAP). The analysis of variance was performed, the relative performance calculated and linear regressions were fitted. Only the treatment effect for NR and effect of interaction for LAP were not significant. Root length was most affected by the acid and the regressions expressed positive as well as negative effects for acid tolerance in the mutant families.
Highlights
The chief characteristic of irrigated rice is the continuously flooded soil during most part of the crop development, establishing an anaerobic environment
The damage potential of butyric acid is high during the initial establishment of rice plantlets in the field, impairing the final crop yield in no-till or minimum tillage systems
The highest relative reduction was observed for the variable root length (RL), the most susceptible to butyric-acid toxicity, with up to 31.35% of relative performance at the dose of 6 mM
Summary
The chief characteristic of irrigated rice is the continuously flooded soil during most part of the crop development, establishing an anaerobic environment. This condition favors anaerobic microorganisms that ferment organic matter (Ponnamperuma 1965). In the initial phases of rice development, organic acid toxicity is manifested in reduced germination, root growth, weight and height of the plantlets (Sousa and Bortolon 2002). The damage potential of butyric acid is high during the initial establishment of rice plantlets in the field, impairing the final crop yield in no-till or minimum tillage systems
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