The objectives of this study were to estimate variability and genetic parameters of sixty-eight rice genotypes for twelve agronomically important characters. Significant variations were observed for all characters. Considering genetic parameters, high genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variations, high heritability (broad sense) and high genetic advance as percentage of mean were shown by eight characters viz. tillers per plant, days to 50% flowering, harvest index, spikelets per panicle, spikelets per plant, spikelet density, panicles per plant and grain yield. Thus these characters were under the influence of additive gene action and a satisfactory selection programme for agronomic improvement on the basis of these characters is possible.

A climatological study has been done in five weather stations viz Dhuburi, Guwahati, Silchar, Tezpur and Dibrugarh for 45 years , for studying and comparing maximum, minimum and mean temperatures. Coefficient of variation, skewness, kurtosis are also calculated and plotted for comparing the results of the stations. The values of period mean of annual surface air temperature are different at different stations and this value does not show homogeneous distribution in the regions. The pattern of distribution of annual mean of daily surface air temperature (maximum, minimum and mean) are asymmetrical over all the stations and have different peakedness at different stations means over all the stations that the distribution are deviates from the normal distribution from slight to significant amount. In most of the cases winter months has shown highest variation while summer month are least variable. Variation in spring and autumn months are in between these two extremes. Almost over all the stations, the patterns of distribution of monthly mean temperature (maximum, minimum and mean) are not normal. The distributions are both positively and negatively skewed and have both platykurtic and leptokurtic peakedness.