ABSTRACT:
Rice, one of the most important cereal, feeds half the world’s population. This study focuses on the Sundarbans, a unique ecosystem where rice is cultivated in the islands where most of the farmlands are below high tide water level. Climate change is causing rise in water level and frequent climatic catastrophe in the region, making the area unsuitable for cultivation, threatening lives and livelihood of the local people. Salt-tolerant traditional rice varieties (TRVs) can be grown in varied conditions, especially after saline water intrusion into agricultural fields due to cyclones. Therefore, assessing the stress response of different traditional varieties under varying salinity gradients is crucial for identifying the most resilient ones for climate change adaptation. For this, 3 TRVs viz. Patnai, Malabati and Gheus were selected, after field survey, for trial in different salinity regime. Antioxidant enzymes viz. Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), Ascorbate Peroxidase (APX) and Catalase (CAT) along with amount of chlorophyll were assessed for understanding the stress response of the varieties towards salinity stress. Significant variation in morphological characters were observed among the varieties. In the study, it was found that the Malabati is the most tolerant variety followed by Patnai and Gheus. This study may pave way for adaptation of such tolerant rice varieties, especially during post-climatic catastrophe in vulnerable areas like Sundarban and other coastal areas.