Unravelling the Physicochemical Determinants of Cooking Quality in Traditional Sali Rice Landraces of Assam, India

Aims: The primary objective of this research was to investigate the complex interrelationships among selected biochemical traits, including amylose content, gelatinisation temperature and gel consistency in Sali rice landraces. By understanding these specific physicochemical properties, the study aims to elucidate the overall eating and cooking quality characteristics of these landraces, which may help breeders to select desirable landraces with an optimal biochemical profile for consumer acceptance. Study Design: The experiment followed an augmented randomised complete block design (Augmented RCBD). Place and Duration of Study: The experiment was conducted at the Assam Rice Research Institute, Titabor, during the kharif season, 2025. Methodology: The evaluation included 11 Sali rice accessions and five check genotypes from Assam, arranged in an augmented randomised complete block design (Augmented RCBD). Each plot consisted of three rows with nine hills per row. Thirty-day-old seedlings were transplanted at a spacing of 20 cm × 15 cm. Results: Among the evaluated rice germplasms, seven were classified as having intermediate amylose levels (20–25%), while four exhibited high amylose content. Gelatinisation temperatures (GT) varied across the entries, with two categorised as low, six as intermediate, and three as high. All tested varieties demonstrated a hard gel consistency (GC). Correlation analyses revealed a highly significant negative relationship between GC and both amylose content and alkali spreading value (ASV). Additionally, principal component analysis (PCA) identified a single principal component that captured 83.303% of the total variance in the dataset. Conclusion: The evaluated rice landraces predominantly exhibited intermediate to high amylose levels and intermediate gelatinisation temperatures, alongside a uniformly hard gel consistency. Correlation analysis highlighted the strong interdependence of these traits, revealing a highly significant negative relationship between gel consistency and both amylose content and alkali spreading value. With one principal component explaining more than 83% of the variance, these findings suggest that the combined assessment of these physicochemical traits may inform the selection of traditional rice landraces for grain-quality improvement.