Abstract
Rice breeding in West Africa has been largely skewed toward yield enhancement and stress tolerance. This has led to the variable grain quality of locally produced rice in the region. This study sought to assess variations in the agronomic and grain quality traits of some rice varieties grown in this region, with a view to identifying sources of high grain yield and quality that could serve as potential donors in their breeding programs. Forty‐five varieties were grown under irrigated conditions in Benin and Senegal with two trials in each country. There were wide variations in agronomic and grain quality traits among the varieties across the trials. Cluster analysis using paddy yield, head rice yield, and chalkiness revealed that 68% of the total variation could be explained by five varietal groupings. One group comprising seven varieties (Afrihikari, BG90‐2, IR64, Sahel 108, WAT311‐WAS‐B‐B‐23‐7‐1, WAT339‐TGR‐5‐2, and WITA 10) had high head rice yield and low chalkiness. Of the varieties in this group, Sahel 108 had the highest paddy yield in three of the four trials. IR64 and Afrihikari had intermediate and low amylose content, respectively, with the rest being high‐amylose varieties. Another group of varieties consisting of B6144F‐MR‐6‐0‐0, C74, IR31851‐96‐2‐3‐2‐1, ITA222, Jaya, Sahel 305, WITA 1, and WITA 2 had high paddy yield but poor head rice yield and chalkiness. The use of materials from these two groups of varieties could accelerate breeding for high yielding rice varieties with better grain quality for local production in West Africa.
Highlights
Rice (Oryza spp.) is an important staple in many parts of the world
As consumers’ incomes increase and markets become more liberalized, consumers’ preferences for rice have been shown to shift from lower to higher quality (Cuevas & Fitzgerald, 2012). As both the populations and earnings of urban settlers in West Africa continue to grow, the demand for high-quality rice is increasing (Demont & Ndour, 2015). This situation requires breeding programs to develop varieties that can match the quality of imported rice being sold on urban markets
The following 45 rice varieties obtained from the Genetic Resources Unit of the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) were evaluated in this study: BG90-2, C74, IR1529-680-3, IR31785-58-1-2-3-3, IR31851- 96-2-3-2-1, IR64, Jaya, Kogoni 91-1, Sahel 108, Sahel 177, Sahel
Summary
Rice (Oryza spp.) is an important staple in many parts of the world. In West Africa, the increasing demand for rice surpasses local production. As consumers’ incomes increase and markets become more liberalized, consumers’ preferences for rice have been shown to shift from lower to higher quality (Cuevas & Fitzgerald, 2012) Likewise, as both the populations and earnings of urban settlers in West Africa continue to grow, the demand for high-quality rice is increasing (Demont & Ndour, 2015). As both the populations and earnings of urban settlers in West Africa continue to grow, the demand for high-quality rice is increasing (Demont & Ndour, 2015) This situation requires breeding programs to develop varieties that can match the quality of imported rice being sold on urban markets. Little is documented on the performance of parental lines used in breeding programs as well as locally grown varieties in West Africa with respect to their grain quality characteristics across different environments.
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