Abstract

ALVAREZ, Rosa M et al. Association between varietal traits and damage caused by the sugarcane stemborer in Portuguesa, Venezuela. Agronomía Trop. [online]. 2008, vol.58, n.2, pp.101-110. ISSN 0002-192X.

Rice, Oryza sativa L., is one of the most important cultivated cereals in the planet. However the FAO estimates that for the year 2025 it will be required approximately 190 million tons of rice in addition to the actual world production. For this reason, the Research Centers of Rice have oriented their researches towards new alternatives to assure the production of this cereal. One of those alternatives is the production of hybrids. The objective of this study was to evaluate the agronomic performance of hybrids coming from Asia and to compare them with foreign and local varieties. The evaluation was carried out during the rainy season of the year 2001, in Portuguesa state, Venezuela, using an experimental design of increased blocks of Federer. We evaluated 27 elite hybrids, 29 elite’s varieties, and as check, 3 commercial hybrids, 4 commercial varieties from Asia, and 1 local commercial variety (FONAIAP 1). The results indicated that the hybrids were 17% superior than the varieties with regard to grain yield. This was caused by higher panicles length, more number of grains for panicle and higher fertility. Nevertheless, they presented low potential to commercial production due to the problems with lodging incidence and high percentage of chalkiness and white belly in the grains.

Keywords : Oryza sativa L; hybrid; increased block of Federer.