Pyramiding of Low Chalkiness QTLs Is an Effective Way to Reduce Rice Chalkiness
Weifeng Yang,
Songliang Chen,
Qingwen Hao,
Haitao Zhu,
Quanya Tan,
Shaojun Lin,
Guodong Chen,
Zhan Li,
Suhong Bu,
Zupei Liu,
Guifu Liu,
Shaokui Wang,
Guiquan Zhang
Affiliations
Weifeng Yang
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Breeding, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, South China Agricultural University
Songliang Chen
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Breeding, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, South China Agricultural University
Qingwen Hao
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Breeding, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, South China Agricultural University
Haitao Zhu
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Breeding, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, South China Agricultural University
Quanya Tan
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Breeding, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, South China Agricultural University
Shaojun Lin
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Breeding, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, South China Agricultural University
Guodong Chen
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Breeding, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, South China Agricultural University
Zhan Li
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Breeding, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, South China Agricultural University
Suhong Bu
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Breeding, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, South China Agricultural University
Zupei Liu
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Breeding, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, South China Agricultural University
Guifu Liu
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Breeding, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, South China Agricultural University
Shaokui Wang
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Breeding, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, South China Agricultural University
Guiquan Zhang
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Breeding, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, South China Agricultural University
Abstract Rice chalkiness is a key limiting factor of high-quality rice. The breeding of low chalkiness varieties has always been a challenging task due to the complexity of chalkiness and its susceptibility to environmental factors. In previous studies, we identified six QTLs for the percentage of grain chalkiness (PGC), named qPGC5, qPGC6, qPGC8.1, qPGC8.2, qPGC9 and qPGC11, using single-segment substitution lines (SSSLs) with genetic background of Huajingxian 74 (HJX74). In this study, we utilized the six low chalkiness QTLs to develop 17 pyramiding lines with 2–4 QTLs. The results showed that the PGC decreased with the increase of QTLs in the pyramiding lines. The pyramiding lines with 4 QTLs significantly reduced the chalkiness of rice and reached the best quality level. Among the six QTLs, qPGC5 and qPGC6 showed greater additive effects and were classified as Group A, while the other four QTLs showed smaller additive effects and were classified as Group B. In pyramiding lines, although the presence of epistasis, additivity remained the main component of QTL effects. qPGC5 and qPGC6 showed stronger ability to reduce rice chalkiness, particularly in the environment of high temperature (HT) in the first cropping season (FCS). Our research demonstrates that by pyramiding low chalkiness QTLs, it is feasible to develop the high-quality rice varieties with low chalkiness at the best quality level even in the HT environment of FCS.
