Improving Drought Tolerance of Rice by Designed QTL Pyramiding

Drought is the most important factor limiting rice yields in the rainfed areas of Asia. To overcome the problem, we developed a new strategy ＇designed QTL pyramiding＇ to more efficiently develop drought tolerant （DT） rice cultivars. In the first phase of this strategy, we developed large numbers of introgression lines （ILs） in elite backgrounds using backcross （BC） breeding, each of which carries multiple genomic segments for improved DT from a known donor. Then, we genotyped all ILs with SSR markers to track the genomewide pattern of introgression in the DT ILs of 16 BC populations derived from crosses between 2 recipients （IR64 and Teqing） and four different donors. X^2 tests and linkage disequilibrium analyses of introgression in the DT ILs revealed significant frequency shifts at many loci across the genome and non-random associations at the multilocus level as a result of selection for DT in the ILs, which led us to the discovery of putative genetic networks underlying DT in the ILs. The networks each containing all DT loci detected in ILs from a BC population showed some interesting features.     

Microsatellite Marker Based Assessment of Genetic Diversity among Cultivars, Landraces and Wild Relatives in Rice

India being the primary center of origin for rice had a very large treasure of local land races, most of which are out of cultivation today. The exact genetic potential and their differences from commercial varieties and the magnitude of heterogeneity still present in them are not well catalogued. Hence the need to characterize the available land races has become imminent in the modem day concept of crop improvement （Rezai and Frey, 1990）. The present study addresses the utility of SSR markers in divulging the genetic relationships at molecular level among the major component factions office gennplasm viz., local cultivars, land races and wild species collected from a wide range of agro-geographical regions of Indian subcontinent.     

NCPGR

National Center of Plant Gene Research （NCPGR）, Established in 2005, is a noncommercial research organization whose primary research directions are structural, functional and comparative analysis of genomes and gene products from a wide variety of plants including rice, cotton, rapeseed and potato.     

“五谷”的由来

五谷，是我国历史上相传下来的名词，常见于我国古籍中。据研究，最早记载这一名词的是《论语》，当时的五谷是指：稻、稷、菽、麦、黍，即稻子、谷子、豆子、麦子、黍子，泛指粮食作物。《管子》中曾将“稷”改为“秫”（指高梁），《素问》中曾将“菽”改为“豆”，仍与之相同。     

Development of Elongated Uppermost Intemode CMS Lines for Hybrid Rice Breeding in India

Development of cytoplasmic male sterile （CMS） lines with elongated uppermost internode （EUI） trait provides a genetic option to eliminate the use of GA3 in hybrid rice. During the past two decades, extensive work has been carried out on the subject that resulted in identification of several mutants with EUI trait for use in developing cytoplasmic/thermo-sensitive genic male-sterile lines with complete panicle exsertion （Okuno and Kawai, 1978; Rutger and Carnahan, 1981; Shen et al., 1987; Yang et al., 2000; 2002; Gangashetti et al., 2004）. Two recessive genes （eui-1 and eui-2） mapped on chromosome 5 and 10 respectively have so far been reported to control the internode elongation in rice （Librojo and Khush, 1986; Yang et al., 2001; Ma et al., 2004）. Considerable progress has been made in China in exploiting ＇eur gene for development of hybrid rice parental lines （Yang et al., 2000; 2002; Zhang et al., 2002）.     

稻地意外长高粱 穗多粒满获高产

2009年9月,在黄松峪乡黑豆峪村谭金宝的0．2hm^2旱稻子地中,长有一棵高梁,这棵高粱长出了20个高粱穗,而且每个穗都籽粒饱满。     

Identification and Genetic Analysis of Fertility Restoration Ability in Dongxiang Wild Rice （Oryza rufipogon）

Two populations of Dongxiang wild rice (Oryza rufipogon), Shuitaoshu and Dongtangshang, were crossed with five male sterile rice lines with different cytoplasmic backgrounds (B06S, Zhenshan 97A, Xieqingzao A, Zhong 9A, and Yuetai A), and the seed setting rate of the F₁ was used to judge the fertility restoration ability in the Dongxiang wild rice. With P₁, F₁, P₂, and F₂ populations as materials, the Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) was used to identify the major genes affecting quantitative traits, and when the major genes existed, the genetic effects of the major gene and the polygene and their genetic variance were estimated through segregation analysis. The seed setting rates of the F₁ generation varied from 45.98% to 76.57%, suggesting that the Dongxiang wild rice had the fertility restoration ability. One major gene plus polygene mixed inheritance model was the most fitted genetic model for this trait in all the F₂ populations. The heritability values of the major genes varied from 56.63% to 88.29% and those of the polygenes from 2.74% to 30.97%, and the total heritability values were from 63.17% to 94.01%. The major gene inheritance of the combination Zhong 9A/Dongtangshang was controlled by the additive effect without dominant effect, and the other nine combinations were by the completely dominant inheritance.     

Optimization of Electroporation Parameters for Immature Embryos of indica Rice （ Oryza sativa）

To obtain a suitable condition for electroporation transformation in indica rice, the 10-day-old immature embryos were selected for optimization experiments. The results showed that one pulse at 850 V/cm, 950 μF capacitance, 200 μL electroporation buffer with 70 mmol/L sodium glutamate, 100 μg/mL plasmid, 50 μg/mL carrier DNA, 20 embryos per cuvette, 0°C treatment and CC medium were the best parameters, which not only improved the transformation efficiency to 30.89%, but also ameliorated the embryo survival ratio to 95.92%. To further verify the practicability of this condition, the embryos from another indica rice variety and a rice type II metallothionein-like gene (OsMT2bL) promoter::mgfp5::gusA construct were tested, and specific GUS expression on the embryos was visualized by histochemical staining. The results showed that the GUS expression on the embryos activated by the OsMT2bL promoter was mainly concentrated on the apical point of the plumule whereas the expression driven by CaMV35S promoter was distributed on nearly all areas of the electroporated tissues. These results indicated that the optimized embryo electroporation conditions could be used not only in genetic transformation of indica rice but also in assay of gene regulation on embryos.     

Response of Glutathione and Glutathione S-transferase in Rice Seedlings Exposed to Cadmium Stress

A hydroponic culture experiment was done to investigate the effect of Cd stress on glutathione content(GSH)and glutathione S-transferase(GST,EC 2.5.1.18)activity in rice seedlings.The rice growth was severely inhibited when Cd level in the solution was higher than 10 mg/L.In rice shoots,GSH content and GST activity increased with the increasing Cd level,while in roots,GST was obviously inhibited by Cd treatments.Compared with shoots,the rice roots had higher GSH content and GST activity,indicating the ability of Cd detoxification was much higher in roots than in shoots.There was a significant correlation between Cd level and GSH content or GST activity,suggesting that both parameters may be used as biomarkers of Cd stress in rice.     

ISSR Analysis on Genetic Diversity of the 34 Populations of Oryza meyeriana Distributing in Yunnan Province,China

The genetic diversity of the 34 populations of wild rice Oryza meyeriana Baill.distributed in Yunnan Province,China was analyzed using 13 inter-simple sequence repeat(ISSR)markers.A total of 168 bands were amplified,of which 135 polymorphic bands were discovered and the percentage of polymorphic bands(PPB)was 80.36%.A genetic diversity was revealed as Nei's gene diversity(H)=0.2666 and Shannon information index(η)=0.4028 at population level.The 34 populations were divided into different groups based on administrative regions,latitude and longitudes,river areas,altitudes of their origins,and their indexes such as Na(number of alleles),Ne(effective number of alleles),H,I and PPB were calculated.Richer genetic diversity was found in the wild rice populations distributed in Simao Prefecture than that in Lingcang Prefecture or Xishuangbanna Prefecture whereas the least genetic diversity was in Baoshan Prefecture or Dehong Prefecture.Rich genetic diversity was also discovered in the wild rice populations originated from higher than 710 m altitude around the middle and lower reaches of the Lancang River belonging to the Pacific Ocean drainage system.The 34 populations could be classified into two groups,one group covered the wild rice distributing in Simao Prefecture only while the other group covered ones in Lingcang,Xishuangbanna and Oehong Prefectures.The issue on how to effectively conserve the wild rice germplasm was discussed.