Preliminary study on quality and storability of giant hybrid rice grain

Grain quality is one of the key targets for rice breeding. Two-meter-high giant rice, Xiangju-1, is a new high-quality restorer line of hybrid rice. Here, the grain quality and storability of three varieties Jufeng 5 (JF5), Jufeng 6 (JF6), and Jufeng 8 (JF8) were studied. The grain sizes of three giant hybrid rice varieties (JFs) were larger than that of the control rice Jingliangyou 1212 (1212). With respect to nutritional value, the three JFs varieties had similar protein content (~8%) but much higher fat content (>0.8%) than 1212. In addition, JF6 had better storability than JF8 when assessed by controlled deterioration treatment (CDT). RNA-seq analysis revealed that the heatmaps of differentially expressed genes in JF6 and JF8 were similar after 20 days of CDT when compared with 0 days. Of particular interest were the different mRNA levels of several genes related to the pathways of DNA damage response and abscisic acid biosynthesis in JF6 and JF8 after 20 days of CDT. Taken together, the data suggested that JF6 had better grain quality and storability than the other hybrid varieties, and several candidate genes for seed storability were identified.