Evaluation of Germination Characteristics and Seedling Adaptability to High Temperature in Floury Rice Cultivars
Floury-endosperm rice cultivars are early-maturing varieties suitable for double cropping in Korea. However, seedling production under high-temperature conditions can be challenging due to issues like accelerated seedling senescence. This study evaluated the growth characteristics of 10- and 20-day-old seedlings from two floury rice cultivars and two non-floury rice cultivars under different temperature conditions (24℃ and 27℃). The germination rate exceeded 95% across all rice cultivars, while germination vigor, mean germination time, and germination speed exhibited significant differences among the cultivars. Under both temperature conditions, the plant height of ‘Baromi4’ was shorter than that of ‘Baromi2’ for both 10- and 20-day-old seedlings. Differences in normal seedling rates and seedling health values were noted between the two seedling stages. In 10-day-old seedlings, ‘Baromi4’ had a higher normal seedling rate and seedling health value compared to ‘Baromi2’. In 20-day-old seedlings, ‘Baromi4’ maintained a higher normal seedling rate, while the seedling health values were similar between the two cultivars. Overall, ‘Baromi4’ was consistently shorter than ‘Baromi2’ in plant height under both temperature conditions, while still achieving a high normal seedling rate. These results suggest that ‘Baromi4’ may possess greater adaptability to high-temperature nursery conditions.