Changes in Yield Potential of Traditional Rice Cultivars with Variability in Plant Height, Tillers Per Plant, Fertility and Days to Maturity

Aims: To understand the changes in yield potential of traditional rice cultivars with different plant height, tillers per plant, fertility and days to maturity. Study Design: Completely randomized block design with four replicates. Twenty plants were evaluated in each replicate. Eighty plants were evaluated for each cultivar. Place and Duration of Study: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka in 20112013. Methodology: Rice cultivars were grouped (trait groups) according to guidelines of standard evaluation system of the International Rice Research Institute. Rice cultivars were sub-divided as semi-dwarf ( 130 cm) according to plant height and very low tillering ( 90%) according to filled grain percentage. Two factor ANOVA without replications were