Abstract
Data from field trials using cultivars, a mapping population, and a set of BC3 introgression lines were used to examine the relationship between plant water status (measured as leaf relative water content, RWC) and yield and spikelet sterility (%SS) for aerobically grown rice exposed to water deficit during the reproductive stage. Control plots were irrigated several times each week to maintain soil moisture near field capacity, while stress plots experienced periods of soil drying. In an experiment comparing 35 lines and cultivars, control grain yield in the dry season was correlated with RWC measured during a period of water exclusion (r=0.72,P