Validation of qGSIO,a quantitative trait locus for grain size on the long arm of chromosome 10 in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Grain size is a major determinant of grain weight and a trait having important impact on grain quality in rice.The objective of this study is to detect QTLs for grain size in rice and identify important QTLs that have not been well characterized before.The QTL mapping was first performed using three recombinant inbred line populations derived from indica rice crosses Teqing/IRBB lines,Zhenshan 97/Milyang 46,Xieqingzao/Milyang 46.Fourteen QTLs for grain length and 10 QTLs for grain width were detected,including seven shared by two populations and 17 found in one population.Three of the seven common QTLs were found to coincide in position with those that have been cloned and the four others remained to be clarified.One of them,qGS10 located in the interval RM6100-RM228 on the long arm of chromosome 10,was validated using F_(2:3) populations and near isogenic lines derived from residual heterozygotes for the interval RM6100-RM228.The QTL was found to have a considerable effect on grain size and grain weight,and a small effect on grain number.This region was also previously detected for quality traits in rice in a number of studies,providing a good candidate for functional analysis and breeding utilization.