Quantitative Trait Loci for Yield Traits Located Between Hd3a and Hd1 on the Short Arm of Chromosome 6 in Rice

QTLs for heading date located in the region between Hd3a and Hd1 were detected using an F2:3 population developed from a residual heterozygous line (RHL) identified from the recombinant inbred lines of the indica rice cross Zhenshan 97B/Milyang 46. Linkage in coupling phase between the heading date QTLs and QTLs for yield traits detected in a previous study was found. Four more F2:3 populations were each developed from an RHL, which were homozygous at Hd3a and Hd1 but heterozygous in a portion of the intervals flanked by Hd3a and Hd1. QTLs for grain yield per plant, number of panicles per plant, number of grains per panicle and 1000-grain weight were detected in the heterozygous region. Five sets of near-isogenic lines (NILs) with overlapping heterogenous segments covering the interval RM6119-RM6779 were developed and used to validate and delimitate the QTLs. A QTL having a consistent effect for the number of grains per panicle was located within the interval RM19615-RM19652 that corresponded to a 514.4 kb region on chromosome 6. The same region might have pleiotropic effects on the other three yield traits analyzed, but the effects varied greatly among different populations and across different environments. This study suggests that it is possible to develop a population with little variation on heading date and to identify QTLs for yield traits that might not be associated with heading date by using information of the physical positions of DNA markers and cloned genes.