Horticulture Science

EXPERIMENT WITH SPEED BREEDING PRACTICE ON INDIAN RICE VARIETIES

NITIN PURI#, SHUBHAM UPADHYAYA*, AKSHIT GOSWAMI^
#- Agriculture Analyst, FLUORTRONIX INNOVATIONS PVT. LTD.
*- R&D Engineer, FLUORTRONIX INNOVATIONS PVT. LTD.
^-Director, FLUORTRONIX INNOVATIONS PVT. LTD.

Introduction Of Speed Breeding

Speed breeding (SB) revolutionizes plant breeding by optimizing growth conditions such as light, temperature, and day length to accelerate crop development, drastically shortening generation times and enabling rapid creation and evaluation of new plant varieties. This technique enhances agricultural productivity and resilience, crucial amid climate change and food security challenges, facilitating quicker adaptation of crops to environmental shifts and ensuring sustainable food production for a growing global population.

In rice cultivation, speed breeding involves producing different light conditions to expedite flowering and seed production. Adjusting light intensity and photoperiod induces early flowering, significantly reducing traditional breeding cycles dictated by natural day lengths.

The experiment on speed breeding of rice with Indian varieties IR-64 and PB-1 was conducted in a controlled environment in Fluortronix Research Lab in an insulated growth chamber. Using Fluortronix Multi Spectrum LED Grow Lights, we precisely controlled the light spectrum and photoperiods crucial for the rice plants' growth stages.

Implementing a large photoperiod to the seedlings supplemented with 660NM Red, 450NM Blue, and 730NM Far red light, accelerated the vegetative phase of rice. Transitioning to another photoperiod after further optimized growth, with alternating intervals of full spectrum and far-red light enhancing reproductive phases. Achieving first anthesis at 75 days and harvesting mature seeds by 97 days demonstrated efficient speed breeding, promising significant advancements in rice cultivation and sustainability.

Material And Methods

The experiment was carried out in Fluortronix research lab. An insulated growth chamber was used to create ideal environmental condition for the cultivation of rice. Two varieties of paddy i.e. IR-64 & PB-1 were planted in the pots. The pots of size 8” were filled with the cocopeat and nutrients were provided through the method of fertigation.

The irrigation was provided through ebb and flow methods. The ebb and flow trays were installed within the growth chamber and it was equipped by drip irrigation to each and every pot with right nutrients that is required for the growth of rice crop. The hydroponic nutrient mix which contains all macro (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, Ca (NO3)2 and MgSO4) and micro nutrient (iron, manganese, boron, molybdenum, copper and zinc) as per the requirement of the plant was used in the fertigation. All fertilizers were applied under SB through the foliar spray (2 g/L) in accordance with plant visual observations and deficiency symptoms.

PROCEDURE

  • Our Growth Chamber was Installed with LED Grow Lights and automated temperature and humidity controls. The ebb and flow trays were installed and drip irrigation system was arranged for each of the planters.
  • Two varieties of Indian paddy i.e. IR-64 & PB-1 were taken. The seeds were sown directly in the pots filled with cocopeat. For initial 4 days, the pots were kept in the dark and moist conditions until the seed germinates.
  • Once the little plumule is visible, the light with 200 umol/m2/s PPFD for 10 hrs was given to the saplings for initial days after the seed germinated.
  • Then these pots were supplied light according to the speed breeding protocol.
  • From 20th Day onwards the Speed Breeding Procedure was implemented and Full spectrum light with supplemented 660NM Red, 450NM Blue and 730NM Far red light was implemented. During this vegetative phase, a 22-hour photoperiod with full spectrum of light and an intensity of 800umol/m2/s average PPFD was applied for next 15 days starting when plant reached active tillering phase.
  • From 35th Day onwards, transitioning to the growth phase, a 10-hour photoperiod was provided which comprised firstly of 9 hours of full spectrum light (fig.1) supplemented with red and blue wavelengths at 800 PPFD, followed by 30-minute of full spectrum light with Added FarRED (fig.2) was given to the plants at 60 PPFD and then subsequently, FarRED light alone (fig.3) at 30 PPFD was provided to the plant for reproductive and maturation phase for last 30 minutes. Day/Night temperature range of 30-34°C and Humidity range of 60-65% were maintained to simulate favourable growth conditions.

EXPERIMENT WITH SPEED BREEDING PRACTICE ON INDIAN RICE VARIETIES
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EXPERIMENT WITH SPEED BREEDING PRACTICE ON INDIAN RICE VARIETIES
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EXPERIMENT WITH SPEED BREEDING PRACTICE ON INDIAN RICE VARIETIES
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DISCUSSION

Our recent experiment on speed breeding of rice, employing a 22-hour light exposure regime yielded promising results. The prolonged light period significantly accelerated the vegetative phase of the plants by enhancing their energy absorption for photosynthesis, thereby reducing the generational time. Furthermore, integrating far-red spectrum light into the regimen effectively hastened the flowering process. Early panicle initiation during the vegetative stage resulted in robust plant growth and height attainment. Notably, the first anthesis was observed just 75 days after sowing, followed swiftly by the appearance of full spikelets and the milk dough stage within a week post-anthesis. Hard spikelet’s matured 15 days later, after which the spikelets transitioned to green and the plant leaves began to dry, marking the final stages of cultivation. We successfully harvested fully matured seeds 97 days after sowing, highlighting the efficiency of our approach in accelerating rice growth and development. The harvested seeds were sown in pots for the next cycle, germinating after 5 days with an 90% success rate. The same cycle is to be recorded again for the better results. These findings hold significant implications for enhancing agricultural productivity and sustainability through optimized light regimes in crop cultivation.

EXPERIMENT WITH SPEED BREEDING PRACTICE ON INDIAN RICE VARIETIES
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Germination of harvested seeds.
EXPERIMENT WITH SPEED BREEDING PRACTICE ON INDIAN RICE VARIETIES
EXPERIMENT WITH SPEED BREEDING PRACTICE ON INDIAN RICE VARIETIES
EXPERIMENT WITH SPEED BREEDING PRACTICE ON INDIAN RICE VARIETIES

GROWTH CHAMBER WITH ENVIRONMENT CONTROLLING EQUIPEMENT, EBB AND FLOW SYSTEM WITH DRIP IRRIGATION AND SPEED BREEDING LIGHTS.

REFERENCES

Read more about the Power of Speed Breeding.