10 Science and Humanities Journal 13:10-20 (2019) Agronomic Response of Aromatic Rice (Oryza sativa L.) as Influenced by Soil Textures and Water Levels ABSTRACT In crop production, it is essential to know the soil characteristics, water requirement, and crop suitability in order to have favorable plant growth and yield. This study was conducted to determine the growth and yield performance of aromatic rice grown in different soil textures and water levels. The experiment was laid out in a 2 x 3 split-plot, Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications. Four containers per treatment (21.5cm and a height of 23cm pail size) were used, each filled with 10 kg soil under saturated conditions. The different soil textures (S1- Clay Loam, S2- Clay) were designated as the main plots, and various water levels (W1- 1.5cm, W2- 3.0cm, W3- 5.0 cm) were considered as the subplots. The results revealed that rice grown in clay loam soil (S1) were taller, had broader 1 leaf area index, produced flower early, and have more number of tillers hill- (21.11). Likewise, longer panicle length (21.79cm), highest percent filled grains (82%), and 1 1 total grain yield (55g hill- ) equivalent to 6.11 t ha- were obtained from plants grown in clay loam soil. Plants grown in 3.0cm water levels produced more productive 1 tillers hill- (21.83), the highest number of filled grains (138), and highest grain yield 1 1 at 54.35g hill- or equivalent to 5.99 t ha- . Keywords: soil textures, aromatic rice, growth, productivity INTRODUCTION Aromatic rice constitutes a small but genetically distinct subpopulation within Asian cultivated rice (Roy et al 2020). Its desirability has resulted in strong human preference and selection for aromatic grains during domestication. Aromatic rice is commonly grown in irrigated lowland areas, especially in plain ecosystems. One of the research priorities in the Philippines is to produce rice that are not only high yielding, but also has good eating and aromatic quality. The aroma in rice grains is one of the most highly valued grain quality traits. These rice varieties have vast export potential because it is preferred in Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar, and Asian countries like the Philippines and Thailand (Ratilla and Cagasan 2011). It is also one of the significant rice types consumed by many *Corresponding Author : Address: Department of Agronomy, Visayas State University, Visca, Baybay City, Leyte, Philippines. E-mail: ulycagasan@vsu.edu.ph 1 Department of Agronomy, Visayas State University, Visca, Baybay City, Leyte, Philippines 2 Department of Plant Science, Aklan State University, Banga, Aklan, Philippines 3 Department of Soil Science, Central Luzon State University, Science of City Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, Philippines 1* 2 3 Ulysses A. Cagasan , Carmenchita M. Tumaca and Purisima P. Juico