Many rice genes involved in the expression of major traits have been
reported, however, their superior haplotype combinations for development of
ideal variety remains elusive. Thus, Ragavendran Abbai and colleagues at the
International Rice Research Institute conducted haplotype analysis of 120
previously characterized genes governing grain yield and grain quality
traits in rice utilizing 3K RG panel. The results of their study are
published in the Plant Biotechnology Journal.



The findings indicated that about 92 of the 120 analyzed genes had
haplotypes ranging from 2 to 15, while the remaining 28 genes had only one
haplotype in the 3K RG panel. Candidate gene based association study of 120
genes showed that a total 21 of these previously cloned genes were strongly
associated with the target grain yield and quality traits. The effect of
identified haplotypes for these 21 genes affecting 10 major traits (plant
height, number of tillers, days to flowering, panicle length, primary branch
numbers per panicle, grain yield, grain size, grain amylose content, grain
iron and zinc concentration) were validated in the subset of the 3K RG panel
across two crop seasons. The study also revealed superior performance of
some of the haplotypes of the studied genes over others.

[onlinelibrary.wiley.com]