Abstract

• This study deals with the climatic adaptation of four perennial rice (PR) cultivars (PR 23, PR 25, PR 101, PR 107) for five growing seasons using Single Trial Design, and their growth and yield characters were studied in the Mandalay area, Patheingyi Township. The cultivation was carried out in the field conditions at Let Thit Village, Patheingyi Township, Mandalay Region from 2021 to 2022. The seeds were provided by the Research Center of Perennial Rice Engineering and Technology in Yunnan, School of Agriculture (SOA), Yunnan University (YNU) in China. Plant height and number of tillers were collected every 15-days after transplanting [DAT (Day After Transplanting)] until harvesting. At the harvesting times, number of panicles, panicles lengths, numbers of spikelets, filled-grains weight, filled-grains percentages and 1000 grains weight were collected and measured from ten sampling plants of each plot, and the yield data were collected from the 6.6 x 6.6 ft2 of two sampling plots. In the growth characters, PR 101 resulted in the tallest plant height during the five growing seasons. The maximum numbers of tillers were found in PR 23. In the yield characters, the maximum numbers of panicles, filled-grains weight, filled-grains percentages and highest yields were found in PR23. The longest panicle lengths were found in PR 107, maximum numbers of spikelets in PR 101, maximum straw dry weight in PR 25 and highest 1000 grains weight in PR107 were obtained respectively. In according of these findings indicated the capability of perennial rice cultivation, well-adaptable growth characters and high yields of perennial rice cultivars over their successive regrowth seasons starting from the first growing seasons until the fifth growing seasons, short duration of life span, low cost of labor and cultural management system in field preparation during rice cultivation. Therefore, the cultivation of PR cultivars would provide many benefits for the efficient food supply and security, and also for the socio-economic development of Mandalay Region.