Characteristics of five Turkish rice cultivars (Oryza sativa L.) grown under the environmental conditions of the Republic of Macedonia.

The Turkish rice cultivars 'Kiziltan', 'Gala', 'Halilbey', 'Gonen' and 'Pasali' were evaluated under typical environmental conditions and production technology of the Kochani rice producing region in the Republic of Macedonia and compared to the standard cultivar 'San Andrea'. The field trial was set up during 2013 and 2014 in randomized complete block design in 3 replications. The Turkish rice cultivars showed shorter period from seeding to flowering compared to the standard. Significantly lower plant height and panicle length in the Turkish cultivars was determined, based on 30 plants per cultivar. 'Pasali' cultivar produced the highest average number of productive tillers (586.67 m-2), while 'Gonen' the lowest (448.50 m-2), based on 3 samples. The Turkish rice cultivars achieved higher average paddy rice yield (based on 3 samples per cultivar), with significant difference between means only for 'Pasali', where the highest value was obtained (9591.78 kg ha-1). The Turkish rice cultivars generally showed better results than the standard and as such are potentially suitable for cultivation in the Republic of Macedonia.