Nur Sakinah Mohd Yusri, Puteri Nur Dinie Ellina Zulkafli, Selvia Dewi Pohan, Shakirah Mohammad Nahar, Asmuni Mohd Ikmal, Muhammad Shafie Md Sah, Sobri Hussein, Nadiatur Akmar Zulkifli, Noraziyah Abd Aziz Shamsudin
Malaysia’s rice self-sufficiency rate (SSL) is only approximately 56%, so to maintain social and economic stability in the nation, numerous initiatives have been undertaken to boost rice yield. Planting rice in the wasteland areas that are typically less fertile can help to increase rice productivity, but it is crucial to identify genotypes that are well-adapted to less fertile soil. This research aimed to identify rice genotypes that are highly adaptable in less fertile soil. The morphoagronomic performance of 58 modern and traditional rice genotypes was evaluated in paddy plots at the Greenhouse Complex, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia for two planting seasons. The plot management practices were conducted in accordance with the ‘Rice Check’ guidelines established by the Department of Agriculture, Malaysia. In both growing seasons, significant differences between genotypes were observed for all seven traits. All traits exhibited high heritability (H) values (0.79 < H ≤ 1.00), except for chlorophyll content (CC) in season I (H = 0.51). Considering that genetic influences predominate over environmental ones, traits with high heritability values can be used for direct selection. Under low fertility condition, traditional rice genotypes showed better performance in terms of grain yield (GY), panicle length (PL), and panicle number (PN), although they were characterized by a longer day to flowering (DTF) compared to modern rice genotypes across both planting seasons. Additionally, a positive and significant correlation was obtained between GY with PN (r=0.40 and 0.58, p<0.01) and PL (r=0.45, p<0.001) for both planting seasons. The 58 rice genotypes were grouped into 8 clusters based on seven studied traits for both growing season. Traditional genotypes such as Towuti, Pongsu Seribu, Ulat Kuning, Huma Kuning Lenggong, and Lumut can be used as parental lines to develop new genotypes of rice with all the superior traits such as high yield, good adaptation under less fertile soil or low input system, intermediate plant height and shorter maturity by crossing them with modern genotypes that mature early and has intermediate plant height. © 2025 Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. All rights reserved.
Jabatan Sains Biologi dan Bioteknologi, Fakulti Sains dan Teknologi, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM, Selangor, Bangi, 43600, Malaysia; Jabatan Biologi, Fakultas Matematika dan Ilmu Pengetahuan Alam, Universitas Negeri Medan, Sumatera Utara, 20221, Indonesia; Pusat Penyelidikan Agrobiodiversiti dan Persekitaran, Ibu Pejabat MARDI, Persiaran MARDI-UPM, Selangor, Serdang, 43400, Malaysia; Bahagian Agro dan Biosains, Agensi Nuklear Malaysia, Selangor, Kajang, 43000, Malaysia
