Seeding date effects on rough rice yield and head rice and selection for stability

The rice (Oryza sativa L.) crop in Arkansas is seeded from late March through early June each year. Farmers need new rice cultivars that not only produce both high rough rice yields and high head rice across this range of seeding dates but do so consistently. Thus, a seeding date study was conducted during 1994 and 1995 at Stuttgart, Arkansas, to study seeding date effects on rough rice yield and head rice and selection for stability. Fourteen rice cultivars were seeded at five dates ranging from late March through mid-June. Kang's yield-stability statistic was used to select cultivars for both high rough rice yields and high head rice as well as stability for both traits. Plant stands from March seedings of each year were significantly lower than for the later seeding dates. Maturity (days to 50 percent heading) was extended at the early seeding dates. Some rice cultivars, such as 'LaGrue', had lower and more variable head rice when seeded early. In the June seeding dates each year,'Kaybonnet' produced rough rice yields that were more consistent with yields when planted at the earlier planting dates.'Bengal', 'Cypress', 'Kaybonnet', and 'Newbonnet' were cultivars selected by Kang's stability statistic, which was targeted to select cultivars with stable, high rough rice yields and stable, high head rice. The validity of using Kang's yield-stability statistic for cultivar selection is also evident empirically by the adaptation and wide use of these four cultivars by southern U.S. rice producers. These results indicate that seeding date studies and stability analyses would be useful tools for rice breeders to identify cultivars that will be readily adapted and grown by rice producers.