Yield characteristics of japonica/indica hybrids rice in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China

Although a lot of researches have been done on yield characteristics of japonica/indica hybrid rice, there is little information on differences of yield characteristics between different types of hybrid. To determine common characteristics of japonica/indica hybrid rice (JIHR) and identify the differences between different types of JIHR, the present study assessed yield characteristics, such as panicle trait, leaf area index (LAI), above-ground biomass accumulation, and nitrogen absorption and utilization, among three types of cultivar of JIHR. In our field experiments, three types of JIHR, e.g., Yongyou, Chunyou and Jiayouzhongke, were divided, and each of them has two cultivars, which were used as materials, meanwhile, using conventional japonica rice (CJR) Wuyingjing 31 and Sujing 9 were as controls. The results showed that the mean yield of those JIHR was above 12 t ha⁻¹ in 2017 and 2018, and was 31.9 and 32.2%, respectively higher than that of CJR in the two years. Spikelet number per panicle of JIHR resulted in high yield. Higher yield of JIHR was likely contributed to greater panicle number and more spikelets per panicle. Higher yielding JIHR showed stronger tillering capacity, larger LAI and above-ground biomass accumulation from jointing to heading stages, which likely contributed to the higher number of spikelets per panicle. The long duration from heading to maturity stages allowed more nitrogen accumulation of higher yielding JIHR.