Adaptation and High Yield Performance of Honglian Type Hybrid Rice in Pakistan with Desirable Agricultural Traits

Honglian type cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) is one of the three known major CMS types of rice ( Oryza sativa L.) commercially used in hybrid rice seed production. Hybrid rice generated by the Honglian type CMS is a special group of hybrid rice, having distinct agricultural characteristics. The main objective of the study was to screen out the Honglian hybrid rice adapted for growing in Pakistan based on desirable traits. Different Honglian-type hybrid rice varietieswere tested locally in different locations in Pakistan based on various desirabletraits. Three Honglian types of hybrids (HP1, HP2, HP3) performed well, had better agricultural traits and showed high yield potential over the check variety. Different qualitative and quantitative traits were studied to conclude the advantages of these varieties for Pakistani local adaptation evaluations. Forty-eight SSR markers were used to study the genetic diversities of the hybrids. Nine selected polymorphic SSR markers (RM-219, RM-236, RM-274, RM-253, RM-424, RM-567, RM-258, RM-481, RM-493) showed genetic variations among Honglian hybrid rice varieties through PCR analysis. In 2019 and 2020, the increment of the yield potential of HP1, HP2 and HP3 was better (+43.90%, +35.44%, +37.13% and +30.91%, +33.37%, +33.62%, respectively, in both years)than the check variety KSK-133. All the desirable traits were analyzed through Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The principal components with more than one eigenvalue showed more variability. The average variability of 74.78% was observed among genotypes and their desirable traits in both years. National Uniform Yield Trial (NUYT) and Distinctness, Uniformity, Stability (DUS) trials are being conducted under the supervision of National Coordinated Rice (NCR) and Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department (FSCRD), Government of Pakistan. In the 2020 trial, the average yield of 104 rice varieties/hybrids was 8608 kg/ha; HP1, HP2 and HP3 (8709 kg/ha, 8833 kg/ha, and 9338 kg/ha, respectively) were all higher than the average yield, and HP3 yield was higher than over check varieties (D-121, Guard-53). In the 2021 trial, the average yield of 137 varieties was 7616 kg/ha; the HP1 yield (7863 kg/ha) was higher than the average overcheck varieties/hybrids. Various qualitative and quantitative traits showed desirable genetic diversity among the rice hybrids. It was also observed that, under higher temperatures, the seeds setting rate of Honglian-type hybrid rice was stable, which is the guarantee for stable yield and rice production in Pakistan. Moreover, it was considerably better, suggesting that Honglian-type hybrid rice varieties can be grown in Pakistan because they are less risky under climate change, especially the global warming challenges.