DEVELOPMENT AND MULTI-LOCATION EVALUATION OF WGL-1488 (IET 30261):A HIGH-YIELDING LOW NITROGEN STRESS-TOLERANT RICE CULTURE FORIRRIGATED ECOSYSTEMS
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Authors
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Y. HARI, V. VENKANNA, B. SATISH CHANDRA, K. RUKMINI DEVI, R. SHRAVAN KUMAR, P. GONYA NAYAK, B. SOUNDARYA, G. NEELIMA, K. RAJENDRA PRASAD, B. MADHAVI, J. BHARGAVI, K. MANASA REDDY, CH. DAMODARA RAJU, P. RAGHURAMI REDDY, P. JAGAN MOHAN RAO, R. UMA REDDY, M. SREEDHAR, M.S.ANANTHA and R.M.SUNDARAM
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) deficiency is a major constraint limiting rice productivity and nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) in both irrigated
and rainfed production systems. Developing rice varieties capable of maintaining high productivity under reduced nitrogen application
is an important strategy for sustainable crop production while minimizing fertilizer inputs and environmental impacts. WGL-1488
(IET 30261) is a medium-duration, high-yielding rice culture developed at the Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS),
Warangal, Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University (PJTAU), through backcross breeding using MTU 1121 (Sri
Dhruthi) as the recurrent parent and Swarna as the donor parent for low nitrogen tolerance. The breeding line was evaluated in the
All India Coordinated Rice Improvement Project (AICRIP) Low Nitrogen Tolerance (LNT) trials during Kharif 2021–2023 under two
nitrogen management regimes comprising 0% and 50% of the recommended nitrogen dose. Across three years of multi-location
evaluation, WGL-1488 recorded weighted mean grain yields of 4222 kg ha-¹ under complete nitrogen omission and 4899 kg ha-¹
under 50% recommended nitrogen application. Under 0% nitrogen, the culture exhibited yield advantages of 7.15%, 24.86% and
57.37% over Swarna, Rasi and Varadhan, respectively, while corresponding yield advantages under 50% nitrogen were 10.66%,
37.81% and 47.25%. Besides superior grain yield, WGL-1488 exhibited desirable agronomic characteristics, including medium
maturity (130–135 days), semi-dwarf stature (99–105 cm), non-lodging habit, fertilizer responsiveness and short bold grains. The
culture also recorded high milling recovery (69.4%), head rice recovery (64.9%) and intermediate amylose content (23.58%). It
was resistant to bacterial leaf blight, sheath blight, sheath rot and glume discoloration, and moderately resistant to brown spot and
brown planthopper. The consistent superiority of WGL-1488 across diverse agro-climatic regions under reduced nitrogen application
demonstrates its potential as a nitrogen-efficient rice culture suitable for sustainable irrigated ecosystems. The culture offers an
opportunity to reduce fertilizer inputs without compromising productivity, thereby contributing to environmentally sustainable rice
production.
