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The study challenges the conventional understanding of awn loss as a domestication syndrome, showing instead that many awned varieties continued to be widely grown in Japan until the early twentieth century and that selection for awn reduction was active at that time, demonstrating that awn loss is not a domestication syndrome but "a trait that emerged during crop improvement". Although selection for awnless mutants was carried out independently using different types of awned cultivars in the early twentieth century in Japan, awn loss was caused by the mutation in OsEPFL1. This suggests that a single mutant haplotype of OsEPFL1 was conserved in the genomes of different cultivars and subsequently selected within each line to meet the demand for awnless varieties. The study also conducts phylogenetic analyses of EPFL1 in 48 grass plants, revealing its unique involvement in awn formation in rice while potentially playing a different role in the domestication of other grass plants. Finally, an attempt is made to isolate an awn-forming gene that has not been identified from the awned rice cultivar "Omachi", which is still cultivated in Japan. The results presented in this paper provide a new perspective on domestication against the conventional understanding of awn development, shedding light on its potential as a useful organ for breeding to mitigate environmental stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-temperature adaptation in rice is mediated by the ability of a genotype to tolerate chilling temperatures. A genetic locus on chromosome 11 was analysed for chilling tolerance at the plumule stage in rice. The tolerant allele of A58, a japonica landrace in Japan, was inherited as a recessive gene (ctp-1 A58), whereas the susceptible alleles from wild rice (Ctp-1 W107) and modern variety (Ctp-1 HY) were the dominant genes. Another recessive tolerant allele (ctp-1 Silewah) was found in a tropical japonica variety (Silewah). Fine-mapping revealed that a candidate gene for the ctp-1 locus encoded a protein similar to the nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat (NLR) protein, in which frameshift mutation by a 73 bp-deletion might confer chilling tolerance in ctp-1 A58. Analysis of near-isogenic lines demonstrated that ctp-1 A58 imparted tolerance effects only at severe chilling temperatures of 0.5 °C and 2 °C, both at plumule and seedling stages. Chilling acclimation treatments at a wide range of temperatures (8 °C–16 °C) for 72 h concealed the susceptible phenotype of Ctp-1 W107 and Ctp-1 HY. Furthermore, short-term acclimation treatment of 12 h at 8 °C was enough to be fully acclimated. These results suggest that the NLR gene induces a susceptible response upon exposure to severe chilling stress, however, another interacting gene(s) for acclimation response could suppress the maladaptive phenotype caused by the Ctp-1 allele. This study provides new insights for the adaptation and breeding of rice in a low-temperature environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many agronomic traits that are important in rice breeding are controlled by multiple genes. The extensive time and effort devoted so far to identifying and selecting such genes are still not enough to target multiple agronomic traits in practical breeding in Japan because of a lack of suitable plant materials in which to efficiently detect and validate beneficial alleles from diverse genetic resources. To facilitate the comprehensive analysis of genetic variation in agronomic traits among Asian cultivated rice, we developed 12 sets of chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSLs) with the japonica background, 11 of them in the same genetic background, using donors representing the genetic diversity of Asian cultivated rice. Using these materials, we overviewed the chromosomal locations of 1079 putative QTLs for seven agronomic traits and their allelic distribution in Asian cultivated rice through multiple linear regression analysis. The CSSLs will allow the effects of putative QTLs in the highly homogeneous japonica background to be validated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing the lodging resistance of rice through genetic improvement has been an important target in breeding. To further enhance the lodging resistance of high-yielding rice varieties amidst climate change, it is necessary to not only shorten culms but strengthen them as well. A landrace rice variety, Omachi, which was established more than 100 years ago, has the largest culm diameter and bending moment at breaking in the basal internodes among 135 temperate japonica accessions. Using unused alleles in such a landrace is an effective way to strengthen the culm. In this study, we performed quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis to identify the genetic factors of culm strength of Omachi using recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between Omachi and Koshihikari, a standard variety in Japan. We identified three QTLs for the culm diameter of the 5th internode on chromosomes 3 (qCD3) and 7 (qCD7-1, qCD7-2). Among them, qCD7-2 was verified by QTL analysis using the F2 population derived from a cross between one of the RILs and Koshihikari. RNA-seq analysis of shoot apex raised 10 candidate genes underlying the region of qCD7-2. The increase in culm strength by accumulating Omachi alleles of qCD3, qCD7-1 and qCD7-2 was 25.0% in 2020. These QTLs for culm diameter pleiotropically increased spikelet number per panicle but did not affect days to heading or culm length. These results suggest that the Omachi alleles of qCD3, qCD7-1 and qCD7-2 are useful for breeding to increase lodging resistance and yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early maturing rice cultivars grown in plain areas have an undesirable appearance due to high temperatures during the grain-filling stage. Therefore, developing early maturing rice cultivars with desirable appearance traits in plain areas is the primary goal of rice breeding programs. This study aimed to develop an early maturing rice cultivar adaptable to early transplanting cultivation in the Chungnam plain area. To develop “Yeoreumi,” two breeding materials were used, good-quality “Joami” from the Chungnam plain area and “Hokuto” having the fastest heading date among the genetic resources and originating from Japan. These two resources were crossed in 2010 to develop the “Yeoreumi” cultivar using the pedigree method. A yield trial was conducted in 2015-2016, and a local adaptability test was conducted in 2017-2019. The heading date of “Yeoreumi” was July 10, when it was transplanted early in the Chungnam plain area, and it could be harvested at August end, which was sufficient to produce a fresh stock of rice before “Chuseok, which is the Korean Thanksgiving Day.” The yield of milled rice was approximately 5.29 MT/ha in the local adaptability test, which was 0.47 MT/ha higher than that of “Jinbuolbyeo.” Additionally, its grain quality was good, with 89.9% head rice and 67.6 glossiness of cooked rice. Overall, the results of this study indicated that “Yeoreumi” was suitable for early transplanting cultivation in the Chungnam plain area for “Chuseok,” and could be used as a representative early maturing rice cultivar in Chungcheongnam-do (Registration No. 8597). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twenty‐one near‐isogenic lines (NILs) for 18 resistance genes—Pia, Pii, Pi3, Pi5(t), Pik‐s (two lines from two donors), Pik‐m, Pi1, Pik‐h, Pik, Pik‐p, Pi7(t), Pi9(t), Piz, Piz‐5, Piz‐t, Pita‐2, Pita (three donors) and Pi20(t)—to blast disease were developed through introduction into the genetic background of a semi‐dwarf susceptible rice line, US‐2, by recurrent backcross breeding. US‐2 is derived from a cross between an Indonesian Tropical Japonica Group cultivar, 'Kencana', and an improved high‐yielding and semi‐dwarf Indica Group cultivar, 'Takanari', bred in Japan. The reactions of US‐2 NILs to standard differential blast isolates were clearly defined than previous differential varieties (DVs) such as monogenic lines. US‐2 and its NILs are adapted well to wide environmental conditions from temperate to subtropical regions. They will be useful and easier to handle and manage as the first DV set with genetic background of Indica Group rice for pathology studies and as gene sources for rice breeding programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Revealing genomic variation of representative and diverse germplasm is the cornerstone of deploying genomics information into genetic improvement programs of species of agricultural importance. Here we report the re-sequencing of 239 japonica rice elites representing the genetic diversity of japonica germplasm in China, Japan and Korea. A total of 4.8 million SNPs and PAV of 35,634 genes were identified. The elites from Japan and Korea are closely related and relatively less diverse than those from China. A japonica rice pan-genome was constructed, and 35 Mb non-redundant novel sequences were identified, from which 1131 novel genes were predicted. Strong selection signals of genomic regions were detected on most of the chromosomes. The heading date genes Hd1 and Hd3a have been artificially selected during the breeding process. The results from this study lay the foundation for future whole genome sequences-enabled breeding in rice and provide a paradigm for other species. • A set of 239 diverse japonica rice elites was re-sequenced, and 4.8 million SNPs and PAV of 35,634 genes were identified. • The elites from Japan and Korea are closely related and relatively less diverse than those from Northeast China. • A japonica rice pan-genome was constructed, and 1131 full-length novel genes were predicted from 35 Mb non-redundant novel sequences. • Strong selection signals of genomic regions were detected on most of the chromosomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brown spot (BS) caused by Bipolaris oryzae is a serious disease of rice and decreases grain yield. Breeding for BS resistance is an economical solution but has not hitherto been achieved. To develop a practical BSresistant variety, we introduced a chromosomal segment including a quantitative trait locus (QTL) for BS resistance, qBSfR11, derived from the BS-resistant local resource 'Tadukan', into the genetic background of the high-yielding but susceptible 'Mienoyume'. Resistance is controlled by a single recessive gene in a 1.3-Mbp region. We named this gene bsr1 (brown spot resistance 1). The near-isogenic line bsr1-NIL had a greater yield with larger grain width than Mienoyume but similar other agronomic traits in fields where BS was mild; it had a significantly lower BS disease score and a 28.8% higher yield in fields where BS was more severe, and it showed resistance to multiple isolates of BS fungus. It showed stable resistance to BS and had excellent agricultural traits in the presence of BS. We developed the bsr1-NIL with resistance to BS and applied it for variety registration to Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Japan as 'Mienoyume BSL'. This is the first report for the BS resistant rice variety bred using marker-assisted selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary fiber has high functional value in relation to gut flora. We searched for a high-lysine mutant of the most popular rice cultivar in Japan, ‘Koshihikari’, as a route to a higher dietary fiber content like a success case in new barley cultivar, ‘Beau-fiber’. We found several promising high-lysine mutants with high dietary fiber content. One of these, ‘WFE5’, has three times the dietary fiber content in white rice. Two rounds of backcrossing to Koshihikari produced a near-isogenic line with a high fiber content. The line’s agronomic traits were close to those of Koshihikari except for yield and eating quality. As these two traits are critical, we discuss how to improve them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An incompletely dominant gene Ur1 (Undulate rachis-1) on chromosome 6 increases spikelet number per panicle, which enlarges sink size and can increase yield in rice. Murai 79 (denoted by "79") and other four prospective Ur1-carrying japonica inbred lines possess not only remarkably high yielding-abilities but also various heading times from extremely late 79 to early "J3". Their eating qualities were examined by comparing them with two japonica check varieties, viz. a representative variety of southern Japan „Hinohikari', and early-maturing „Koshihikari'. According to sensory eating-quality test, 79 was less sticky and higher in hardness than Hinohikari, which may be due to its high amylose content in milled rice. Its overall evaluation and taste were not significantly different from those of Hinohikari. "Mido" was measured by the specific apparatus, is considered as the most reliable indicator for overall evaluation. The 79 had higher values of mido, which may cause its high eating-quality despite its high amylose content. Additionally, 79 has an advantage to lessen the high-temperature damage for brown-rice appearance, because its maturing temperatures were lower than those of middle heading Hinohikari in the experimental years. Late-heading and middleheading lines, "7E" and "47" were not significantly different from Hinohikari regarding overall evaluation, taste, stickiness, hardness and flavor in 2010. J3 was not significantly different from either Hinohikari or Koshihikari in overall evaluation and taste, and was lower in hardness than Koshihikari. Regarding amylose content, J3, Hinohikari and Koshihikari were similar to one another, while 47 was lower than Hinohikari. On the other hand, "53" was lower than Hinohikari in overall evaluation and flavor. Consequently, 79, 7E, 47 and J3 could be candidates for extremely lateheading, late-heading, middle-heading and early-heading commercial varieties, respectively, and also be mid-mother lines for developing high-yielding varieties with high eating quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An incompletely dominant gene Ur1 (Undulate rachis-1) increases spikelet number per panicle, resulting in a larger sink size and enabling increase of yield in rice. Murai 79 (denoted by "79") and four other prospective Ur1-carrying inbred lines were used, which possess various heading times from extremely late line 79 to the early line "J3", together with four check varieties, viz. a representative variety of southern Japan „Hinohikari', early „Koshihikari' and late „Nishihikari', and one super high-yielding indica-type variety „Takanari'. Five and eight of all lines-varieties were grown using various fertilizer levels in a paddy field at Kochi University in two years, and eight of them at one fertilizer level in another year, and yield and its related traits were measured. The five Ur1-carrying lines were significantly higher in yield than the three japonica varieties (30 to 36% higher than Hinohikari), which was due to their larger sink sizes resulting from their higher spikelet numbers per panicle. In yield, line 79 was similar to Takanari in 2003, while the former was lower than the latter in 2005. Amount of carbohydrates transferred from leaf sheaths and culms to panicles during grain filling can be estimated by the difference on dry-matter basis between total brown rice yield and increase of total plant weight after heading. This trait contributed 26 or 32% of total brown rice yield including unripened grains in line 79. On the other hand, high yields of Takanari and an Ur1-carrying line 53 depended mostly on increase in total plant weight after heading. In addition, Takanari and 53 had the highest values of harvest index. An extraordinarily high yield by 79 (784 g/m²) was recorded in a farmer's paddy field. Consequently, the 79 and the other four Ur1-carrying lines could be candidates for high-yielding varieties with various maturities and/or mid-mother lines to develop new varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal that is mainly accumulated through the consumption of foods produced in Cd-contaminated fields. Phytoremediation is one of the most effective methods to reduce the soil Cd concentration. In this study, we bred a new rice line, 'Akita 119', for Cd phytoremediation. 'Akita 119' was obtained by a soft X-ray mutation of 'Cho-ko-koku', a naturally high-Cd-accumulating rice cultivar. The heading date of 'Akita 119' was about 2 weeks later than that of 'Akitakomachi', which is the leading cultivar in Akita Prefecture, Japan. 'Akita 119' has a short culm length and many panicles. The shattering resistance and lodging resistance of 'Akita 119' were improved compared to 'Cho-ko-koku'. The thousand-grain weight of 'Akita 119' was much smaller than that of 'Akitakomachi', and grains of 'Akita 119' could be easily distinguished from general japonica cultivars. When 'Akita 119' was grown in Cd-contaminated fields, the shoot dry weight and Cd concentration were similar to those of 'Cho-ko-koku'. These results demonstrate that 'Akita 119' has improved agronomic characteristics compared to 'Cho-ko-koku' while retaining the ability to extract Cd. Therefore, it should be considered a promising candidate for Cd phytoremediation in paddy fields in northern parts of Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The enhancement of heat stress tolerance at anthesis is an important strategy to achieve sustainable rice production in the context of predicted global warming. In this study, we genetically analysed spikelet fertility under high temperature treatment (38°C) at anthesis using the three rice varieties, namely, Koshihikari and Takanari, which were developed in Japan, and IR64, which was developed in the Philippines. Genetic analysis of the F2 population between Takanari and IR64 revealed a quantitative trait locus (QTL) on chromosome 4 that increased spikelet fertility with the Takanari allele and that was likely qHTSF4.1, a previously fine-mapped major QTL. Genetic analysis using chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSLs) carrying Koshihikari chromosome segments in the IR64 genetic background did not show any QTLs. In contrast, genetic analysis using CSSLs carrying Koshihikari chromosome segments in the Takanari genetic background revealed some QTLs, including chromosomes 4 and 9. These results suggest that the expression of QTLs may depend on genetic background. The two CSSLs, SL1313 and SL1330, which carried the QTLs on chromosomes 4 and 9, respectively, exhibited a spikelet fertility of over 80% and relatively large anther dehiscence compared with Takanari. These results suggest that the Koshihikari allele of QTLs may be related to improved anther dehiscence, which may lead to successful pollination and ultimately increased spikelet fertility under heat stress conditions. The findings in the present study should be useful to enhance heat stress tolerance at anthesis in rice in future breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To utilize a transposon-tagged mutant as a breeding material in rice, an endogenous DNA transposon, nDart1-0, was introduced into Koshihikari by successive backcrossing together with aDart1-27, an active autonomous element. The founder line for nDart1-tagged lines of Koshihikari carried nDart1-0 on chromosome 9 and transposed nDart1-12s on chromosomes 1 and 8 and nDart1-3 on chromosome 11. In nDart1-tagged lines, there were the most abnormal phenotypic mutants and many aberrant chlorophyll mutants at seedling stage. At mature stage, many semi-sterile mutants were observed. Dwarf, reduced culm number and lesion mimic mutants were also found. In total, 43.2% of the lines segregated some phenotypic mutants. Thus, the nDart1-tagged lines of Koshihikari are expected to be potentially useful for screening stress-tolerant mutants under abiotic or biotic stress conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enhance the yield potential of rice by breeding, it is important to reveal the genetic factors affecting yield components in high-yielding cultivars. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis for panicle structure and spikelet weight as an index of grain filling was conducted using recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between an indica-dominant high-yielding cultivar, Takanari, and a japonica-dominant high-yielding cultivar, Momiroman in 2012 and 2013 in eastern Japan. The grain-filling ability of Takanari is reported to be better than that of Momiroman. Since grain filling is generally better near the tip of the panicle and decreases as the number of branches from the rachis increases, we classified whole panicles into upper and lower side panicles and spikelets into primary, secondary, and tertiary spikelets according to the number of branches from the rachis. On chromosomes 1, 4, and 6, QTLs regulating the number of spikelets per panicle and panicle structure were detected and were most likely identical to GN1a, SPIKE, and APO1, respectively, which has been previously reported as QTLs regulating the number of spikelets per panicle. Takanari produced much heavier secondary and tertiary spikelets than Momiroman on the lower side panicle. On chromosome 5, novel QTLs regulating spikelet weight were detected. The Takanari allele enhanced secondary and tertiary spikelet weight on the lower side panicle. These results indicate that it may be possible to enhance sink capacity and translocation of source with a combination of novel QTLs detected on chromosome 5 and GN1, APO1, and SPIKE. Chromosomal locations of quantitative trait loci for secondary spikelet weight on whole panicle and secondary and tertiary spikelet weight on lower side panicle in recombinant inbred lines derived from a cross between Takanari and Momiroman in 2013. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Japanese cedar (JC) pollinosis is a serious type I allergic disease in Japan. Although subcutaneous immunotherapy and sublingual immunotherapy have been applied to treat JC pollinosis, high doses of allergens may cause IgE‐mediated allergic reactions. The transgenic rice seeds that contain genetically modified Cry j 1 and Cry j 2, the two major allergens of JC pollen, have been developed as candidates for oral immunotherapy. Although the antigens in the transgenic rice seeds (Tg‐rice seeds) were engineered such that they decrease binding ability with IgE and they are of insufficient length to cross‐link IgE on the surface of mast cells or basophils, the safety of Tg‐rice seeds for patients with JC pollinosis was unclear. Methods: To verify the safety of Tg‐rice seeds in terms of allergies, we investigated the percentage of activated basophils induced by Tg‐rice seed extract in the basophil activation test. Blood samples from 29 patients with JC pollinosis were collected. Tg‐rice seed extract, non‐transgenic wild‐type rice seed extract, and Cry j 1 and Cry j 2 were mixed with the blood with reagents. The percentage of activated basophils was assessed by CD203c expression, a basophil activation marker. Results: The percentage of activated basophils after the stimulation with Tg‐rice seed extract was 4.5 ± 1.6% (mean ± SD) compared with 62.9 ± 20.2% after Cry j 1‐ and Cry j 2‐stimulation (difference 58.4%, P < 0.001, 95% confidence interval 51.0–65.9%). Conclusions: The results will contribute to the safety of Tg‐rice seeds in terms of allergies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air temperature is one of the most critical climatic factors controlling rice growth, development, and production in current and future climatic scenarii predicting increasingly frequent situations of extreme and/or fluctuating temperatures. With its large spectrum of geographical origins and cropping areas, one can credit tropical japonica rice subspecies of a probable genetic diversity of its response to air temperature, which is of major interest for the breeding of better adapted rice varieties. A panel of 195 rice accessions (175 japonica plus 20 reference cultivars) was studied in controlled environment to estimate cardinal (base, optimum, and maximum) temperatures based on the monitoring of the elongation rate (LERmax) of the sixth leaf on the main stem in response to six fixed thermal treatments ranging from 16 to 35 °C. A dedicated statistical framework was elaborated for estimating LERmax, cardinal temperature and related uncertainties. Developed statistical framework enhanced the precision of cardinal temperatures estimated compared to previously reported methods, especially for base temperature. Maximum temperature was trickier to estimate and will require further studies. A significant genotypic variability for base and optimal temperature was pointed out, suggesting tropical japonica subspecies represents a relevant genetic pool to breed for rice genotypes adapted to various thermal situations. These results also suggested that using genotype-dependent cardinal temperature values should enhance the way crop growth models account for genotype × environment interactions hence their predictive value in current and future climatic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insertion-deletion (indel) polymorphisms, such as simple sequence repeats, have been widely used as DNA markers to identify QTLs and genes and to facilitate rice breeding. Recently, next-generation sequencing has produced deep sequences that allow genome-wide detection of indels. These polymorphisms can potentially be used to develop high-accuracy polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based markers. Here, re-sequencing of 5 indica, 2 aus, and 3 tropical japonica cultivars and Japanese elite cultivar 'Koshihikari' was performed to extract regions containing large indels (10-51 bp) shared by diverse cultivars. To design indel markers for the discrimination of genomic regions between 'Koshihikari' and other diverse cultivars, we subtracted the indel regions detected in 'Koshihikari' from those shared in other cultivars. Two sets of indel markers, KNJ8-indel (shared in eight or more cultivars, including 'Khao Nam Jen' as a representative tropical japonica cultivar) and C5-indel (shared in five to eight cultivars), were established, with 915 and 9,899 indel regions, respectively. Validation of the two marker sets by using 23 diverse cultivars showed a high PCR success rate (=95%) for 83.3% of the KNJ8-indel markers and 73.9% of the C5-indel markers. The marker sets will therefore be useful for the effective breeding of Japanese rice cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed 21 near-isogenic lines (NILs) in the genetic background of the Indica Group rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivar IR64, with each containing one of the 11 blast resistance genes: Pish , Piz , Piz-5 , Pi9 (t), Pii , Pi3 , Pik , Pik-h , Pik-p , Pi1 , and Pi7 (t). The NILs were confirmed to harbor these genes by their reaction patterns to standard differential blast isolates and by analyses for graphical genotypes using DNA markers located on the same chromosome regions as the target resistance genes. The agronomic traits of these NILs, such as days to heading and yield components, were also investigated and found to be very similar to those of IR64, even when grown under the dramatically different environmental conditions of the temperate and subtropical regions of Japan. These NILs and their genetic information will be used as gene sources for Indica Group rice breeding programs, to improve resistance to blast disease, and as a multiline variety that will also be useful as an alternative approach to the development of the durability of rice resistance to blast disease in tropical areas, especially in irrigated lowland ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work was carried out during the years 2004 - 2011 in the international Center of Tsukuba, belonging to the International Agency of Cooperation of Japan and in the Territorial Station of Investigations of Grains "Sur del Jíbaro" in Sancti Spíritus with the objective value the employment of the nitrogenous fertilizer of Slow Liberation Ureaformaldehído on the index of agronomic efficiency in the use of the nitrogen and the increment of the agricultural yield for the production of rice; in the first one you study the speed of liberation of the nitrogen of the Ureaformaldehído and the conventional Urea to three temperatures (10; 17.5 and 25 °C); in the second one studies effect of the fertilizer Ureaformaldehído on the agricultural yield and the index of agronomic efficiency in the use of the nitrogen, in the cultivation of the flooded rice. The main results showed the Ureaformaldehído reacted in a significant way in the measure the temperature was incremented, ending up being mineralized a percentage from 82 to the 100 days; on the other hand, the best yield was reached statistically, with the dose of 120 kg of N/ha, for the fertilizer Ureaformaldehído. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low temperatures at the initial stages of rice development prevent fast germination and seedling establishment and may cause significant productivity losses. In order to develop rice cultivars exhibiting cold tolerance, it is necessary to investigate genetic resources, providing basic knowledge to allow the introduction of genes involved in low temperature germination ability from accessions into elite cultivars. Japanese rice accessions were evaluated at the germination under two conditions: 13°C for 28 days (cold stress) and 28°C for seven days (optimal temperature). The traits studied were coleoptile and radicle length under optimal temperature, coleoptile and radicle length under cold and percentage of the reduction in coleptile and radicle length due to low temperature. Among the accessions studied, genetic variation for traits related to germination under low temperatures was observed and accessions exhibiting adequate performance for all investigated traits were identified. The use of multivariate analysis allowed the identification of the genotypes displaying cold tolerance by smaller reductions in coleoptile and radicle lenght in the presence of cold and high vigour, by higher coleoptile and radicle growth under cold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Heilongjiang Province is a high-quality japonica rice cultivation area in China. One in ten bowls of Chinese rice is produced here. Increasing yield is one of the main aims of rice production in this area. However, yield is a complex quantitative trait composed of many factors. The purpose of this study was to determine how many genetic loci are associated with yield-related traits. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were performed on 450 accessions collected from northeast Asia, including Russia, Korea, Japan and Heilongjiang Province of China. These accessions consist of elite varieties and landraces introduced into Heilongjiang Province decade ago., Results: After resequencing of the 450 accessions, 189,019 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were used for association studies by two different models, a general linear model (GLM) and a mixed linear model (MLM), examining four traits: days to heading (DH), plant height (PH), panicle weight (PW) and tiller number (TI). Over 25 SNPs were found to be associated with each trait. Among them, 22 SNPs were selected to identify candidate genes, and 2, 8, 1 and 11 SNPs were found to be located in 3' UTR region, intron region, coding region and intergenic region, respectively., Conclusions: All SNPs detected in this research may become candidates for further fine mapping and may be used in the molecular breeding of high-latitude rice., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) in Japan is not only a food staple but also an important material for the Japanese alcoholic beverage, sake. The grain used in sake brewing has different characters from the cooking rice grain, including a large grain size and high white-core expression rate (WCE). Because large-sized grains often have a heavy grain weight and higher yield, this trait is also important for cooking rice. Chalky grains, such as white-core or white-belly grains, are not ideal as cooking rice. Here, we report that three grain-size quantitative trait loci (QTLs; qGL4-2, qGWh5, qGWh10), derived from the brewing cultivar, Yamadanishiki, affect grain shape, chalky grain rate, and yield, using near isogenic and pyramiding lines in the genetic background of the cooking cultivar, Koshihikari. First, these QTLs influenced multiple components of grain shape, where epistatic effects were detected between qGL4-2 and qGWh5, for grain width and thickness, and between qGL4-2 and qGWh10, for grain length. Therefore, these QTLs may coordinate to control grain shape. Second, lines harboring qGWh5 or qGWh10 at the Yamadanishiki allele exhibited increased WCE, whereas lines with qGL4-2 and qGWh10 exhibited decreased white-belly grain rate (WBR). Thus, grain shape is associated with the occurrence of chalky grain, where the chalky type depends on the QTL. Finally, we used total panicle weight of plants as a simplified rice yield index, and a promising line pyramiding qGL4-2 and qGWh5 emerged. In conclusion, qGL4-2 would be useful for the breeding of cooking rice, to decrease WBR, while qGWh5 and qGWh10 were definitely more beneficial for that of brewing rice, to increase grain weight and WCE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Koshihikari, a Japanese short-grain rice cultivar, was developed in 1956, more than 60 years ago. Despite its age, it has been the most widely grown cultivar in Japan for more than 35 years, making it the most important rice for the Japanese people. In its early days, there was no reason to predict that Koshihikari would become so widely disseminated. However, since the end of the post-World War II food shortage in the 1960s, Japanese preferences changed from high productivity to good eating quality. This triggered wide expansion of Koshihikari cultivation due to the cultivar’s excellent taste and texture. With increasing cultivation of Koshihikari in Japan, several good agronomic characteristics beyond its high eating quality became apparent, such as its good adaptation to different environments, tolerance to pre-harvest sprouting, and cold tolerance during the booting stage. These characteristics outweigh drawbacks such as its low blast resistance and low lodging resistance. The popularity of Koshihikari influenced subsequent rice breeding trends at regional agricultural experimental stations, and the characteristics of newly developed rice cultivars in Japan are usually rated relative to Koshihikari, which is used as the benchmark. Koshihikari was the first japonica rice cultivar whose whole genome has been sequenced by means of next-generation sequencing. Furthermore, comparison of the genomes of Koshihikari and Nipponbare has provided detailed insights into the genetic diversity of Japanese rice cultivars relative to that in rice populations elsewhere in the world. Further progress in rice genomics is gradually unlocking the mechanisms that underlie the agronomic characteristics of Koshihikari. To support both research and the development of novel rice cultivars, a series of isogenic and near-isogenic lines in the Koshihikari genetic background have been continuously developed. These new findings and materials will facilitate genomics-assisted rice breeding, eventually leading to superior cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]