EVALUATION OF RICE (Oryza sativa L.) HYBRIDS AND VARIETIES

In "Los Palacios" Rice Research Station, belonging to the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, some morphoagronomic characters of rice hybrids and varieties which are used in breeding programs for salinity tolerance were studied, with the objective of valuing the degree of existing diversity in the genetic materials. Results revealed a great phenotypic diversity in which all characters contributed to a full variation, the highest correlations being between the final height and panicle length as well as full grains per panicle and yield. There were associations between rice hybrids and their parents; also, the resistance of all rice hybrids and varieties to lodging, threshing and Pyricularia grisea was evaluated. RESUMEN. En la Estacion Experimental del Arroz, ubicada en el municipio Los Palacios, perteneciente al Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Agricolas, se estudiaron algunos caracteres morfoagronomicos de un grupo de hibridos y variedades de arroz, empleados en los programas de mejoramiento genetico para la tolerancia a la salinidad, con el objetivo de valorar el grado de diversidad existente. Los resultados revelaron la gran diversidad fenotipica existente en el material, donde todos los caracteres contribuyeron a la variacion total, siendo las corre- laciones mas altas entre la altura final con la longitud de la panicula y los granos llenos por panicula con el rendimiento. Existieron asociaciones de los hibridos con sus progenitores y se evaluo la resistencia al acame, desgrane y Pyricularia grisea.