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Evaluation of near-isogenic lines for drought resistance QTL and fine mapping of a locus affecting flag leaf width, spikelet number, and root volume in rice

Theoretical and Applied Genetics volume 123, Article number: 815 (2011) Cite this article

Abstract

Drought stress is a major limiting factor for crop production and breeding for drought resistance is very challenging due to the complex nature of this trait. Previous studies in rice suggest that the upland japonica variety IRAT109 shows better drought resistance than the lowland indica variety Zhenshan 97. Numerous quantitative trait loci (QTL) have been previously mapped using a recombinant inbred line population derived from these two genotypes. In this study, near-isogenic lines (NILs) for 17 drought resistance-related QTL were constructed and phenotypic variations of these NILs were investigated under drought and normal conditions. Fourteen of these NILs showed significant phenotypic differences relative to the recurrent parent under at least one of the conditions and nine NILs showed significant differences under both conditions. After eliminating the effect of heading date on drought resistance, only four NILs carrying seven QTL (four for the same grain yield-related traits and three for the same or similar root traits QTL) showed differences consistent with the original QTL mapping results. One of these lines (N19) contains qFSR4, a QTL on chromosome 4 controlling root volume per tiller and co-segregating with flag leaf width and spikelet number per panicle. Using a population derived from N19, qFSR4 was mapped to a 38-kb region containing three open reading frames including the previously characterized NARROW LEAF 1 (NAL1) gene. NAL1, which controls leaf width and also affects vein patterning and polar auxin transport, is the most promising candidate genes for qFSR4. Our results underscore the importance of the development of NILs to confirm the identification of QTL affecting complex traits such as drought resistance.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30725021, 30830071, and 30921091), the National Special Key Project of China on Functional Genomics of Major Plants and Animals (2006AA10A103), the National Green Super Rice Project (2010AA101805), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, National Center of Plant Gene Research (Wuhan), Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China

    Xipeng Ding, Xiaokai Li & Lizhong Xiong

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  1. Xipeng Ding
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  2. Xiaokai Li
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  3. Lizhong Xiong
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Correspondence to Lizhong Xiong.

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Communicated by T. Tai.

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Ding, X., Li, X. & Xiong, L. Evaluation of near-isogenic lines for drought resistance QTL and fine mapping of a locus affecting flag leaf width, spikelet number, and root volume in rice. Theor Appl Genet 123, 815 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-011-1629-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-011-1629-1

Keywords

  • Quantitative Trait Locus
  • Recombinant Inbred Line
  • Drought Resistance
  • Grain Yield
  • Recombinant Inbred Line Population