Identification and Mapping of a Gene for Rice Slender Kernel Using Oryza Glumaepatula Introgression Lines

Abstract

World demand for superior rice grain quality tends to increase. One of the criteria of appearance quality of rice grain is grain shape. Rice consumers exhibit wide preferences for grain shape, but most Indonesian rice consumers prefer long and slender grain. The objectives of this study were to identify and map a gene for rice slender kernel trait using Oryza glumaepatula introgression lines with O. sativa cv. Taichung 65 genetic background. A segregation analysis of BC4F2 population derived from backcrosses of a donor parent O. glumaepatula into a recurrent parent Taichung 65 showed that the slender kernel was controlled by a single recessive gene. This new identified gene was designated as sk1 (slender kernel 1). Moreover, based on the RFLP analyses using 14 RFLP markers located on chromosomes 2, 8, 9, and 10 in which the O. glumaepatula chromosomal segments were retained in BC4F2 population, the sk1 was located between RFLP markers C679 and C560 on the long arm of chromosome 2, with map distances of 2.8 and 1.5 cM, respectively. The wild rice O. glumaepatula carried a recessive allele for slender kernel. This allele may be useful in breeding of rice with slender kernel types. In addition, the development of plant materials and RFLP map associated with slender kernel in this study is the preliminary works in the effort to isolate this important grain shape gene