Soil moisture condition is an important limiting factor in growth and yield in rice culture. The purpose of this study was to compare the influence on the growth, yield and Quality of rice subjected to soil moisture stress (SMS) at different growth stages. Ajaponica rice cultivar, Dongjinbyeo, was cultured under flooded conditions in a plastic container filled with silty loam soil. The container was subjected to SMS until the initial wilting point (IWP) coincided with about 10% in soil moisture content and about-200 kPa in soil matric potential, and was then irrigated again, at 6 and 5 of main growth stage in 1996 and 1997, respectively. At maturity, the plant height, tiller number, leaf area and top dry weight were decreased more in SMS treatments at the early stage than the late stage. The averaged yield index of SMS to control in both years was lowest at meiosis (62.5%), which primarily resulted from lower percent ripened grain and 1,000 grain weight, and second＇ reduced the spikelet number per panicle and panicle number per hill, and followed at tillering stage (68.5%) which resulted from the lower production in tiller number and top dry matter during and after SMS treatment. The percent-age of read rice in SMS plants varied with the treatment stage as order of lower at meiosis (44.0%), heading (53.9%), panicle initiation (70.1%), tillering (72.1%), ripening (75.8%) and 5 days after transplanting (DAT) (79.0%). Protein content in brown rice was slightly larger in SMS at late growth stage than the control, while the contents of fat and ash differed very little between SMS and control. Contents of Mg and K and Mg/K in brown rice with SMS were lower at some treatment stages such as at ripening or panicle initiation.

• Hong-Kyu Park
• Weon-Young Choi
• Si-Yong Kang
• Young-Doo Kim
• Won-Yul Choi