Adaptability of rice cultivars to different ecologies in western province of Zambia

Abstract: 
Rice in Zambia has traditionally been grown in lowland flooded or semi-flooded environments. These environments are unfortunately only a small portion of Zambia, occupying only 1% of the total land. The increase in food demand in the country requires that other rice production environments be sought to expand the cultivation of the crop beyond the traditional flooded plains. This study was therefore set up to screen several lowland rice varieties and two upland rice varieties for suitability for cultivation in upland conditions. Two sites, Longe and Namushakende were used for the trial with 2 environments (upland and lowland) chosen at each site. There was both an environment and variety effect on grain yield. The superior varieties in upland conditions were Nerica 1 and Nerica 4. Under lowland conditions the best yielders were Supa, Kajakete, Wahiwahi and Black rice. It is recommended that the Nerica upland varieties be explored further for possible cultivation in upland Zambia conditions.
Le riz en Zambie a été traditionnellement cultivé dans des environnements des plaines inondées ou semi-inondées. Ces milieux sont malheureusement qu’une petite partie de la Zambie, qui occupe seulement 1% de la superficie totale. L’augmentation de la demande alimentaire dans le pays exige que d’autres milieux de production du riz soient cherchés pour étendre la culture du riz au-delà des plaines traditionnelles inondées. Cette étude a donc été mise en place pour examiner plusieurs variétés de riz de plaine et deux variétés de riz de montagne quant à leur aptitude de culture dans les conditions de montagne. Deux sites, Longe et Namushakende ont été utilisés pour l’essai avec 2 milieux (montagne et plaine) choisis à chaque site. Il y avait à la fois l’effet du milieu et de la variété sur le rendement en grain. Les variétés de meilleure qualité dans des conditions de montagne ont été Nerica 1 et Nerica 4. Dans des conditions de basse altitude, les variétés de plus grand rendement ont été Supa, Kajakete, Wahiwahi et le riz noir. Il est recommandé que les variétés Nerica de montagne soient explorées préalablement pour la croissance possible dans des conditions de montagne zambienne.
Language: 
English
Date of publication: 
2010
Country: 
Region Focus: 
Southern Africa
University/affiliation: 
Collection: 
RUFORUM Conferences and Workshops
Licence conditions: 
Open Access
Access restriction: 
Form: 
Printed resource
Publisher: 
ISSN: 
E_ISSN: 
Edition: 
Extent: 
421-424
Notes: 
 
"The 2010 RUFORUM Biennial Conference was the second in the series. The main objective of the Biennial conferences is to provide a platform for agricultural research for development stakeholders in Africa and beyond to actively exchange findings and experiences, while at the same time learning lessons towards improving performance of the agricultural sector and ultimately people’s livelihoods. The biennial conference is RUFORUM’s most comprehensive meeting for the diversity of stakeholers in agriculture. It is especially dedicated to graduate students and their supervisors, grantees in RUFORUM member universities and alumni. It is a platform for peer review, quality control, mentorship, networking and shared learning. This record contains an extended abstract accepted under the theme of plant breeding".