Evaluation of Stress Tolerant Rice Varieties under Rainfed Condition in Dhubri District of Assam, India
Subashi Baruah *
Department of Entomology, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, Assam, India.
Dibyarishi Bhattacharjya
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Dhubri, Assam Agricultural University, Assam, India.
F. U. A. Ahmed
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Dhubri, Assam Agricultural University, Assam, India.
Bhaskar Talukdar
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Dhubri, Assam Agricultural University, Assam, India.
Bhaskar Baruah
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Dhubri, Assam Agricultural University, Assam, India.
Nabanita Nath
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Dhubri, Assam Agricultural University, Assam, India.
Bikas Jyoti Gharphalia
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Dhubri, Assam Agricultural University, Assam, India.
Samsun Neher
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Dhubri, Assam Agricultural University, Assam, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Agriculture in flood-prone Dhubri district of Assam is highly vulnerable to climate change-induced submergence, necessitating the adoption of climate-resilient rice varieties to sustain productivity and farmer livelihoods. A field experiment was conducted during kharif 2023 and 2024 in NICRA villages (Udmari and Sreegram) under Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Dhubri, Assam, to evaluate the performance of submergence-tolerant rice varieties under rainfed flood-prone conditions. The experiment consisted of three treatments: Ranjit-Sub1, Bahadur-Sub1, and farmers’ variety Ranjit. Results revealed that both stress-tolerant varieties varied significantly (p ≤ 0.05) in improved growth and yield parameters over the farmers’ practice. Ranjit-Sub1 recorded the highest grain yield (4.42 t/ha), followed by Bahadur-Sub1 (4.29 t/ha), compared to 3.66 t/ha in Ranjit. Ranjit-Sub1 showed a yield advantage of 20.9% over the farmers’ variety, while Bahadur-Sub1 recorded 17.3% higher yield. Economic analysis indicated higher gross return (₹93,294.33/ha), net return (₹47,118/ha), and B:C ratio (1.98) in Ranjit-Sub1. The results demonstrate that submergence-tolerant varieties significantly enhance productivity and profitability under flood-affected rainfed ecosystems.
Keywords: Ranjit-Sub1, rainfed, B:C ratio, stress tolerant, yield