Response characteristic and stability of yield, quality for early and late season rice in South China under extreme rainfall years

ObjectiveTo investigate the characteristics and stabilities of yield and quality for early and late season rice in South China during years with extreme rainfall, explore their relationship with meteorological factors, screen for climate-resilient rice varieties, and provide a theoretical foundation for the stable and high-yield cultivation of rice that are resistant to adverse conditions in the region. MethodEighteen indica rice varieties were planted in both early and late seasons at the Baiyun Experimental Base of the Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Using a randomized block design, yield and quality traits were measured and their correlations with meteorological factors were analyzed to evaluate the response degree of double season rice growth and development to meteorological factors.ResultThe yield of early rice showed significant negative correlations with both the diurnal temperature range and solar radiation amount during the vegetative growth period (PP−2, while late season yields reached 7 901.47 to 8 439.52 kg·hm−2. ConclusionThe temperature during the reproductive period in extreme rainfall years may be a key factor leading to unstable yield and quality of early and late season rice in South China. Hence, utilizing high-yield, stable varieties adapted to both seasons, constitutes a key strategy to achieve large-scale production stability under extreme rainfall conditions.