Stability and Environmental Responsiveness of WA-CMS Rice Hybrids for Yield and Grain Quality
B. Surender *
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad 500030, India.
Ch. Damodar Raju
Seed Research and Technology Centre, Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad 500030, India.
B. Laxmi Prasanna
Rice Research Unit, Agricultural Research Institute, Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad 500030, India.
Ch. Suvarna Rani
ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad 500030, India.
Y. Chandra Mohan
Agricultural Research Institute, Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad 500030, India.
Aparna Kuna
Directorate of International Programmes, Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad 500030, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aims: To evaluate the yield performance, environmental responsiveness and stability of wild-abortive cytoplasmic male-sterile (WA-CMS)-derived rice hybrids for agronomic and grain-quality traits across three locations.
Study Design: Multi-location evaluation in a randomised block design with three replications.
Place and Duration of Study: Rajendranagar, Kampasagar and Kunaram during the kharif 2025 season.
Methodology: Thirty-six hybrids developed from three WA-CMS lines and 12 restorers, together with 15 parents and four standard checks, were evaluated for 22 agronomic and grain-quality traits. Environmental indices, genotype means, regression coefficients (bᵢ) and deviations from regression (S²di) were summarised using the Eberhart–Russell stability framework. Inferential joint-regression tests must be confirmed from the original plot-level data before formal stability categories are assigned.
Results: Environmental indices differed among locations and traits. For total grain yield, the indices were 0.001 at Rajendranagar, 0.038 at Kampasagar and −0.039 at Kunaram. CMS-59 × SN-2183 and CMS-59 × SN-2717 recorded the highest reported mean yield (0.59 kg plot⁻¹), followed by RMS-2 × SN-2183 (0.57 kg plot⁻¹) and CMS-64 × SN-2705 (0.55 kg plot⁻¹). Their regression coefficients indicated contrasting responses to environmental improvement. These entries are considered candidates for further evaluation rather than formally validated stable hybrids.
Conclusion: The results provide a preliminary shortlist of WA-CMS-derived hybrids for further testing. Because the evaluation covered three locations in one season, and inferential stability statistics require confirmation, multi-year and multi-location validation is necessary before recommendation.
Keywords: WA-CMS, hybrid rice, genotype × environment interaction, Eberhart–Russell model, grain yield, grain quality