Comparison of QTL for Grain Number per Panicle in Three Populations Sharing 3 Parents and Fine Mapping of Gnlc

Complex traits, such as yield components, are inherited in a quantitative manner and typically controlled by quantitative trait loci （QTL）. Grain number per panicle （GN） is an important component of yield in rice and has been studied for QTL mapping in our lab （Yu et al., 1997; Xing et al., 2002）. Further discovery of QTL for GN and fine mapping will provide rich of gene resources for high yield breeding by marker assistant selection. Gene cloning is helpful to understand the biological mechanism underlying GN and instruct the application of gene engineering in rice yield breeding. In recent years, near-isogenic lines （NILs） for grain number have been reported for gene fine mapping （Tian et al., 2006; Zhang et al., 2006） and gene cloning （Ashikari et al., 2005）. However, so far, this kind of research is insufficiency for systematically elucidating the genetic bases and regulatory mechanism involved in GN. In this study, we compare the locations and genetic effects of QTL for GN detected in three sets of recombinant inbred line populations （RILs） sharing three parents, and fine map a new major QTL, Gnlc, commonly detected in the 3 populations.

Comparison of QTL for Grain Number per Panicle in Three Populations Sharing 3 Parents and Fine Mapping of Gnlc

Complex traits, such as yield components, are inherited in a quantitative manner and typically controlled by quantitative trait loci (QTL).