DEVELOPMENT OF CLIMATE-RESILIENT RICE VARIETIES THROUGH PARTICIPATORY PLANT BREEDING APPROACHES

Abstract

The escalating impacts of climate change necessitate the development of resilient agricultural systems, particularly in staple crops such as rice. This study explores the application of participatory plant breeding (PPB) to develop climate-resilient rice varieties tailored to diverse agro-ecological zones. By integrating the indigenous knowledge of farmers with advanced breeding methodologies, including marker-assisted selection and machine learning-assisted phenotyping, the study evaluated a wide array of genotypes under real-world stress conditions such as drought, salinity, and heat. Across eight field trials involving farmer-managed and research-station plots, genotypes such as G11, G21, and G41 demonstrated superior performance in terms of yield (up to 5,800 kg/ha), drought and flood tolerance scores, and farmer preference ratings. The results, presented in eight comprehensive tables and ten comparative figures, revealed that genotypes selected through PPB maintained consistent productivity across multiple environments and stress regimes. Notably, G31 and G33 showed exceptional salinity and drought tolerance, respectively, while G72 emerged as the most socio-economically preferred genotype due to its grain quality and market value. The participatory approach enhanced local relevance and adoption rates, as farmers were directly involved in trait selection and field evaluation, ensuring alignment with their agro-environmental realities. Furthermore, the incorporation of digital tools and genomic selection models improved the precision of genotype-to-phenotype prediction, accelerating breeding cycles. The study concludes that participatory plant breeding is an effective, scalable, and inclusive approach to climate-resilient crop development. It bridges scientific innovation with community engagement, fostering sustainable food systems capable of withstanding climatic variability.