Conventional and contemporary approaches for drought tolerance rice breeding: Progress and prospects

Drought is becoming a major threat to rice farming across the globe owing depletion of water tables in rice-growing belts. affects plants at multiple stages, causing damage morphological and physio-biochemical levels, leading severe losses that exceed from all other stresses. The amalgamation conventional breeding methods with modern molecular biology tools biometrical could help accelerate genetic gain for drought tolerance rice. Many drought-tolerance traits determinants have been identified exploited variety breeding. integration genome-wide association study genomic selection speed shortened cycle aided rapid improvement gain. In this review, we emphasized progress made through classical as well limitations usefulness current improving tolerance. We briefly addressed identifying deploying them genomics-assisted programmes develop high-yielding drought-tolerant cultivars.