Evaluating Rice Varieties for Suitability in a Rice–Fish Co-Culture System Based on Lodging Resistance and Grain Yield
Meijuan Li,
Xiangyu Hu,
Rui Hu,
Kaiming Liang,
Xuhua Zhong,
Junfeng Pan,
Youqiang Fu,
Yanzhuo Liu,
Xinyu Wang,
Qunhuan Ye,
Yuanhong Yin
Affiliations
Meijuan Li
Rice Research Institute of Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Rice Engineering Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding of High-Quality Rice in Southern China (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou 510640, China
Xiangyu Hu
Rice Research Institute of Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Rice Engineering Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding of High-Quality Rice in Southern China (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou 510640, China
Rui Hu
Rice Research Institute of Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Rice Engineering Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding of High-Quality Rice in Southern China (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou 510640, China
Kaiming Liang
Rice Research Institute of Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Rice Engineering Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding of High-Quality Rice in Southern China (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou 510640, China
Xuhua Zhong
Rice Research Institute of Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Rice Engineering Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding of High-Quality Rice in Southern China (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou 510640, China
Junfeng Pan
Rice Research Institute of Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Rice Engineering Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding of High-Quality Rice in Southern China (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou 510640, China
Youqiang Fu
Rice Research Institute of Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Rice Engineering Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding of High-Quality Rice in Southern China (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou 510640, China
Yanzhuo Liu
Rice Research Institute of Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Rice Engineering Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding of High-Quality Rice in Southern China (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou 510640, China
Xinyu Wang
Rice Research Institute of Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Rice Engineering Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding of High-Quality Rice in Southern China (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou 510640, China
Qunhuan Ye
Rice Research Institute of Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Rice Engineering Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding of High-Quality Rice in Southern China (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou 510640, China
Yuanhong Yin
Rice Research Institute of Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Rice Engineering Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding of High-Quality Rice in Southern China (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou 510640, China
Rice–fish co-cultures have been practiced for over 2000 years, and they have tremendous potential in terms of increasing food security and economic benefits. However, little research has been conducted into achieving stable yields and high lodging resistance with regard to rice while simultaneously promoting the harmonious and healthy growth of fish in rice–fish co-culture paddy fields. We conducted a field study aimed at selecting suitable rice varieties for rice–fish co-culture systems (encompassing both ratoon and main crop). This selection process was grounded in an evaluation of lodging resistance and grain yield among 33 rice varieties used throughout the studied region. The results revealed a range of lodging indices of the main crop for the second internode, spanning from 62.43 to 138.75, and the annual grain yield (main crop and ratoon crop) ranged from 7.17 to 13.10 t ha−1 within rice–fish co-culture systems. We found that the use of rice–fish co-culture farming could improve the milling quality, nutrient quality, and appearance quality of rice, though the improvement gained through co-culturing varied across rice varieties. Moreover, the lodging index of the three basal internodes of rice plants was significantly and positively correlated with the plant height and the culm fresh weight, but it was negatively correlated with the bending strength of the rice basal internodes. Additionally, the 33 tested rice varieties were clustered in accordance with their lodging resistance (i.e., high resistance with lodging indices 62.43–75.42; medium resistance with lodging indices 80.57–104.62; and low resistance with lodging indices 113.02–138.75) according to the hierarchical cluster analysis. The 33 rice varieties were also clustered in accordance with the annual (main crop and ratoon crop) grain yield (i.e., high yield with 11.17–13.10 t ha−1; medium yield with 10.15–10.83 t ha−1; and low yield with 7.16–9.88 t ha−1). In all, 11 rice varieties were identified by a comprehensive evaluation as suitable varieties for grain production in the rice–fish co-culture system. These varieties displayed favorable traits, including a high annual rice yield, strong lodging resistance, and good grain quality. This is the first study to systematically evaluate rice varieties based on grain yield, lodging resistance, and grain quality in rice–fish co-culture systems.
