Variability Studies in Landraces and Improved Rice 
(Oryza sativa L.) Germplasm for Yield and Quality Traits

Elias Jeke; James Bokosi; Rosemary Murori; Maxwell Darko Asante; Kingsley Masamba

doi:doi:10.11648/j.jps.20261401.12

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| Peer-Reviewed

Variability Studies in Landraces and Improved Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Germplasm for Yield and Quality Traits

Elias Jeke^*

, James Bokosi

, Rosemary Murori

, Maxwell Darko Asante

, Kingsley Masamba

Published in Journal of Plant Sciences (Volume 14, Issue 1)

Received: 5 January 2026 Accepted: 15 January 2026 Published: 30 January 2026

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Abstract

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most important staple foods crops whose demand is increasing mainly due to population growth and urbanization. It is ranked first in most Asian countries and second to maize in Malawi. The aim of the current study was to determine variability in local landraces and elite rice germplasm using agro-morphological traits in order to identify and document superior germplasm for conservation and use in further breeding programmes. The experiment was conducted at Lifuwu Agricultural Research Station - Experimental Fields during the 2024/2025 rainy season in Alpha Latic Design (ALD), with three replications and each plot comprised a dimension of 5 m x 0.4 m, length and width, respectively. The number of days to reach physiological maturity ranged from 119 days (G102, G154) to 158 days (G2), while milling recovery was from 57% to 75%. and top- ten highest yielding entries (G17, G127, G14, G130, G175, G171, G132, G119, G16, and G19) produced grain yields ranging from 7396 to 8121 kg/ha, highlighting their potential candidature for breeding and genetic improvement programs. The Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC) performed using GenStat 19th Edition produced six main clusters such that cluster 1 comprised 66 germplasm and cluster 6 had 8 germplasm, suggesting germplasm variability, ideal for broad spectrum breeding and least populated lines; respectively. This study has a huge contribution to rice improvement goals in identifying and documenting diverse superior germplasm which could be directly adopted by rice growers after advancement or used in further breeding programs.

Published in	Journal of Plant Sciences (Volume 14, Issue 1)
DOI	10.11648/j.jps.20261401.12
Page(s)	17-37
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Rice Germplasm, Variability, Correlation, Agro-morphological Traits, Breeding Programme

References

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APA Style

Jeke, E., Bokosi, J., Murori, R., Asante, M. D., Masamba, K. (2026). Variability Studies in Landraces and Improved Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Germplasm for Yield and Quality Traits. Journal of Plant Sciences, 14(1), 17-37. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jps.20261401.12

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ACS Style

Jeke, E.; Bokosi, J.; Murori, R.; Asante, M. D.; Masamba, K. Variability Studies in Landraces and Improved Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Germplasm for Yield and Quality Traits. J. Plant Sci. 2026, 14(1), 17-37. doi: 10.11648/j.jps.20261401.12

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AMA Style

Jeke E, Bokosi J, Murori R, Asante MD, Masamba K. Variability Studies in Landraces and Improved Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Germplasm for Yield and Quality Traits. J Plant Sci. 2026;14(1):17-37. doi: 10.11648/j.jps.20261401.12

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@article{10.11648/j.jps.20261401.12,
  author = {Elias Jeke and James Bokosi and Rosemary Murori and Maxwell Darko Asante and Kingsley Masamba},
  title = {Variability Studies in Landraces and Improved Rice 
(Oryza sativa L.) Germplasm for Yield and Quality Traits},
  journal = {Journal of Plant Sciences},
  volume = {14},
  number = {1},
  pages = {17-37},
  doi = {10.11648/j.jps.20261401.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jps.20261401.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jps.20261401.12},
  abstract = {Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most important staple foods crops whose demand is increasing mainly due to population growth and urbanization. It is ranked first in most Asian countries and second to maize in Malawi. The aim of the current study was to determine variability in local landraces and elite rice germplasm using agro-morphological traits in order to identify and document superior germplasm for conservation and use in further breeding programmes. The experiment was conducted at Lifuwu Agricultural Research Station - Experimental Fields during the 2024/2025 rainy season in Alpha Latic Design (ALD), with three replications and each plot comprised a dimension of 5 m x 0.4 m, length and width, respectively. The number of days to reach physiological maturity ranged from 119 days (G102, G154) to 158 days (G2), while milling recovery was from 57% to 75%. and top- ten highest yielding entries (G17, G127, G14, G130, G175, G171, G132, G119, G16, and G19) produced grain yields ranging from 7396 to 8121 kg/ha, highlighting their potential candidature for breeding and genetic improvement programs. The Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC) performed using GenStat 19th Edition produced six main clusters such that cluster 1 comprised 66 germplasm and cluster 6 had 8 germplasm, suggesting germplasm variability, ideal for broad spectrum breeding and least populated lines; respectively. This study has a huge contribution to rice improvement goals in identifying and documenting diverse superior germplasm which could be directly adopted by rice growers after advancement or used in further breeding programs.},
 year = {2026}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Variability Studies in Landraces and Improved Rice 
(Oryza sativa L.) Germplasm for Yield and Quality Traits
AU  - Elias Jeke
AU  - James Bokosi
AU  - Rosemary Murori
AU  - Maxwell Darko Asante
AU  - Kingsley Masamba
Y1  - 2026/01/30
PY  - 2026
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jps.20261401.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.jps.20261401.12
T2  - Journal of Plant Sciences
JF  - Journal of Plant Sciences
JO  - Journal of Plant Sciences
SP  - 17
EP  - 37
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2331-0731
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jps.20261401.12
AB  - Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most important staple foods crops whose demand is increasing mainly due to population growth and urbanization. It is ranked first in most Asian countries and second to maize in Malawi. The aim of the current study was to determine variability in local landraces and elite rice germplasm using agro-morphological traits in order to identify and document superior germplasm for conservation and use in further breeding programmes. The experiment was conducted at Lifuwu Agricultural Research Station - Experimental Fields during the 2024/2025 rainy season in Alpha Latic Design (ALD), with three replications and each plot comprised a dimension of 5 m x 0.4 m, length and width, respectively. The number of days to reach physiological maturity ranged from 119 days (G102, G154) to 158 days (G2), while milling recovery was from 57% to 75%. and top- ten highest yielding entries (G17, G127, G14, G130, G175, G171, G132, G119, G16, and G19) produced grain yields ranging from 7396 to 8121 kg/ha, highlighting their potential candidature for breeding and genetic improvement programs. The Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC) performed using GenStat 19th Edition produced six main clusters such that cluster 1 comprised 66 germplasm and cluster 6 had 8 germplasm, suggesting germplasm variability, ideal for broad spectrum breeding and least populated lines; respectively. This study has a huge contribution to rice improvement goals in identifying and documenting diverse superior germplasm which could be directly adopted by rice growers after advancement or used in further breeding programs.
VL  - 14
IS  - 1
ER  -

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Author Information

Elias Jeke

Department of Crop and Soil Science, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), Lilongwe, Malawi;Department of Agricultural Research Services (DARS), Lifuwu Agricultural Research Station (LARS), Salima, Malawi

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0009-0002-0698-7160
James Bokosi

Department of Crop and Soil Science, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), Lilongwe, Malawi

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7544-1519
Rosemary Murori

International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), IRRI – ESA Africa Regional Office, Nairobi, Kenya

http://orcid.org/0009-0002-5010-074X
Maxwell Darko Asante

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Crops Research Institute, Kumasi, Ghana;Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), College of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6002-6331
Kingsley Masamba

Department of Crop and Soil Science, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), Lilongwe, Malawi

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4315-2587

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APA Style

Jeke, E., Bokosi, J., Murori, R., Asante, M. D., Masamba, K. (2026). Variability Studies in Landraces and Improved Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Germplasm for Yield and Quality Traits. Journal of Plant Sciences, 14(1), 17-37. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jps.20261401.12

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ACS Style

Jeke, E.; Bokosi, J.; Murori, R.; Asante, M. D.; Masamba, K. Variability Studies in Landraces and Improved Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Germplasm for Yield and Quality Traits. J. Plant Sci. 2026, 14(1), 17-37. doi: 10.11648/j.jps.20261401.12

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AMA Style

Jeke E, Bokosi J, Murori R, Asante MD, Masamba K. Variability Studies in Landraces and Improved Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Germplasm for Yield and Quality Traits. J Plant Sci. 2026;14(1):17-37. doi: 10.11648/j.jps.20261401.12

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.jps.20261401.12,
  author = {Elias Jeke and James Bokosi and Rosemary Murori and Maxwell Darko Asante and Kingsley Masamba},
  title = {Variability Studies in Landraces and Improved Rice 
(Oryza sativa L.) Germplasm for Yield and Quality Traits},
  journal = {Journal of Plant Sciences},
  volume = {14},
  number = {1},
  pages = {17-37},
  doi = {10.11648/j.jps.20261401.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jps.20261401.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jps.20261401.12},
  abstract = {Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most important staple foods crops whose demand is increasing mainly due to population growth and urbanization. It is ranked first in most Asian countries and second to maize in Malawi. The aim of the current study was to determine variability in local landraces and elite rice germplasm using agro-morphological traits in order to identify and document superior germplasm for conservation and use in further breeding programmes. The experiment was conducted at Lifuwu Agricultural Research Station - Experimental Fields during the 2024/2025 rainy season in Alpha Latic Design (ALD), with three replications and each plot comprised a dimension of 5 m x 0.4 m, length and width, respectively. The number of days to reach physiological maturity ranged from 119 days (G102, G154) to 158 days (G2), while milling recovery was from 57% to 75%. and top- ten highest yielding entries (G17, G127, G14, G130, G175, G171, G132, G119, G16, and G19) produced grain yields ranging from 7396 to 8121 kg/ha, highlighting their potential candidature for breeding and genetic improvement programs. The Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC) performed using GenStat 19th Edition produced six main clusters such that cluster 1 comprised 66 germplasm and cluster 6 had 8 germplasm, suggesting germplasm variability, ideal for broad spectrum breeding and least populated lines; respectively. This study has a huge contribution to rice improvement goals in identifying and documenting diverse superior germplasm which could be directly adopted by rice growers after advancement or used in further breeding programs.},
 year = {2026}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Variability Studies in Landraces and Improved Rice 
(Oryza sativa L.) Germplasm for Yield and Quality Traits
AU  - Elias Jeke
AU  - James Bokosi
AU  - Rosemary Murori
AU  - Maxwell Darko Asante
AU  - Kingsley Masamba
Y1  - 2026/01/30
PY  - 2026
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jps.20261401.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.jps.20261401.12
T2  - Journal of Plant Sciences
JF  - Journal of Plant Sciences
JO  - Journal of Plant Sciences
SP  - 17
EP  - 37
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2331-0731
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jps.20261401.12
AB  - Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most important staple foods crops whose demand is increasing mainly due to population growth and urbanization. It is ranked first in most Asian countries and second to maize in Malawi. The aim of the current study was to determine variability in local landraces and elite rice germplasm using agro-morphological traits in order to identify and document superior germplasm for conservation and use in further breeding programmes. The experiment was conducted at Lifuwu Agricultural Research Station - Experimental Fields during the 2024/2025 rainy season in Alpha Latic Design (ALD), with three replications and each plot comprised a dimension of 5 m x 0.4 m, length and width, respectively. The number of days to reach physiological maturity ranged from 119 days (G102, G154) to 158 days (G2), while milling recovery was from 57% to 75%. and top- ten highest yielding entries (G17, G127, G14, G130, G175, G171, G132, G119, G16, and G19) produced grain yields ranging from 7396 to 8121 kg/ha, highlighting their potential candidature for breeding and genetic improvement programs. The Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC) performed using GenStat 19th Edition produced six main clusters such that cluster 1 comprised 66 germplasm and cluster 6 had 8 germplasm, suggesting germplasm variability, ideal for broad spectrum breeding and least populated lines; respectively. This study has a huge contribution to rice improvement goals in identifying and documenting diverse superior germplasm which could be directly adopted by rice growers after advancement or used in further breeding programs.
VL  - 14
IS  - 1
ER  -

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