Amelioration of moisture stress effect by CaCl(2) pre-treatment in upland rice

Five varieties of rice viz., Subhadra, Ghanteswari, Sidhant, Jogesh and Khandagiri were grown to study the stress alleviating effect of CaCl(2) at panicle initiation (PI) stage. CaCl(2) (1 %) was given as seed treatment, which ameliorated the adverse effect of drought stress on photosynthesis (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), membrane stability index (MSI), leaf moisture retention index (LMRI) and grain weight. Under stress condition Pn, Gs, MSI and LMRI were significantly reduced. All CaCl(2) pre-treatments enhanced yield, and the reduction under moisture stress was only 21.9 % as compared to 62 % in untreated stressed plants. Amongst the varieties Shubadra and Ghanteswari possessed better drought adaptive mechanism than Sidhant, Jogesh and Khandagiri.