Yield Potential of Improved Tropical Japonica Rice under Temperate Environment in Korea

Rice production in Korea has markedly increased during the last two decades due to newly developed high yielding varieties and improved production technology. This experiment was conducted to determine the potential of tropical japonica germplasm in enhancing the yield of temperate japonica. The yield performance of two tropical japonicas (IR 65597-29-3-2 and IR66154-52-1-2) and one temperate japonica (Dongjinbyeo) was compared at different plant densities and nitrogen levels under Korean environmental conditions. Although tropical japonicas showed low tillering habit and large panicles, they had similar leaf area index and dry weight at heading stage to Dongjinbyeo of the high tillering type indicating that there was not much difference between tropical and temperate japonica in terms of biomass production. The highest milled rice yield of 6.15 t/ha was obtained from Dongjinbyeo at a high nitrogen level with less planting density (220 kg N/ha and 30 $\times$ 15 cm). However, those of the two tropical japonicas were 5.36 t/ha at the condition of 165 kg N/ha and 30 x 10 cm planting density and 5.06 t/ha at the condition of 165kgN/ha and 15 x 15 cm planting density, respectively. Ripened grain of tropical japonicas ranged from 65 to 87%, while that Dongjinbyeo ranged from 82 to 97% under Korean conditions.