Harnessing root phenotyping and root growth plasticity of landraces of maize ( L.) for enhancing waterlogging tolerance in fragile and challenging agro-ecologies of Eastern Himalaya.

Maize is a major crop of the Eastern Himalayan Region (EHR) which faces significant environmental challenges including waterlogging (WL) under changing climate. Through microcosm and field experiments, this study aimed to evaluate the phenotypic plasticity and adaptive mechanisms of maize landraces under WL conditions at the seedling and flowering stages. Based on the response coefficient and waterlogging tolerance coefficient 14 landraces at the seedling stage were found to be WL tolerant whereas RCM-12-19, RCM-32-19, and RCM-16-19, emerged as WL tolerant at both stages.