Effect of Climate on the Yield of ‘Ilpum’ Rice Cultivar in Gyeongbuk Province, South Korea over the Past 25 Years

Abstract

Ilpum’, a Korean short-grain mid-late maturing rice cultivar, was developed in 1990, more than 30 years ago. Despite its age, it has been the most widely grown cultivar in the Gyeongbuk province of South Korea for more than 25 years, making it the most important rice cultivar for the people of the Gyeongbuk province. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between the rice yield of “Ilpum’, the main rice cultivar in the Gyeongbuk province, and climate elements in the Daegu (southern plain area) and the Andong (inland mountainous area) regions in Gyeongbuk, South Korea. The rice yield over the past five years increased by about 13% and 24%, compared to that produced in the late 1990s in Daegu and the early 2000s in the Andong region, respectively. The number of panicles per hill and the grain ripening rate significantly affected rice yield in the ‘Ilpum’ cultivars in the Daegu region. The faster heading was a factor in the increase in ‘Ilpum’ rice yield in the Andong region. The air temperature has been rising and sunshine duration has been increasing from the late 1990s to present in both regions. Rice yield was evaluated to understand the effect of climate factors. The rice yields increased owing to the long sunshine duration during the grain-filling stage in both regions. In Andong, increasing the maximum temperature during the vegetative stage increased rice yield. Rising air temperature during the reproductive stage also increased rice yield. In particular, long sunshine hours throughout the whole rice growing period increased the rice yield of this cultivar in the Andong region.