The traditional drought tolerant cultivar 'Banglami' was crossed with high yield drought susceptible variety 'Ranjit'. A total of 49 true F₁s were raised and selfed. The advanced F₄ lines were screened for physiological and yield traits under drought stress. Among these, the maximum root length ranged from 19 cm to 59 cm with the average value of 38.96. It was observed highest in 'Banglami' (59 cm) followed by 'ARC10372' (51 cm) and three F₄ lines B-18, B-22 and B-23 with the root length of 50cm under drought stress. The maximum root length showed positive correlation with relative leaf water content (RLWC) and grain yield under drought stress. High heritability was observed for the various physiological and yield traits under drought stress. The two F 4 lines (B-15 and B-23) were selected based on various physiological and yield traits under drought stress. The

selected lines may be used in the development of drought tolerant rice variety for upland drought affected areas of Assam.