Evaluation of Yield and Yield Related Attributes of Selected Black Rice Accessions Under Low Country Wet Zone Conditions in Sri Lanka

Rice plays a major role globally and nationally as a staple food due to its high nutritional value. It has thousands of varieties grown worldwide, showing wide genetic diversity. Black rice is considered a superior food because of its numerous health benefits. However, in Sri Lanka, limited information is available on the agronomic performance and yield potential of black rice. This study evaluated the agronomic and yield-related traits of fourteen black rice accessions grown at the Regional Rice Research and Development Centre, Bombuwela, during the 2022/2023 Maha season. The experiment was conducted as a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replicates. Data were collected at vegetative and reproductive stages, including plant height, culm length, panicle length, productive tiller count, effective panicles per plant, and grain yield. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used, and mean separation was performed using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT) for data analyses. Results revealed that the tested black rice accession BR 16 v recorded the longest panicle (24.83 cm) and highest culm length (92.53 cm), while BR 58 iii had the lowest plant height (78.6 cm). BR 26 iii produced the highest number of effective panicles per plant. The highest grain yield (2.33 t ha⁻¹) was observed in BR 16 v followed closely by BR 11 ii (2.30 t ha⁻¹). Correlation analysis revealed non-significant negative relationships between yield and both productive tiller count and effective panicles per plant. Overall, the study identified promising black rice accessions with desirable agronomic traits and yield potential, providing useful insights for future breeding programs in Sri Lanka