Diversity in the Content of Some Nutritional Components in Husked Seeds of Three Wild Rice Species and Rice Varieties in Yunnan Province of China

In addition to rice （Oryza sativa L.） cultivars, there are three wild rice species, namely O. rufipogon Griff, O. officinalis Wall and O. granulata Baill, in Yunnan Province, China. Each species has different subtypes and ecological distributions. Yunnan wild rice species are excellent genetic resources for developing new rice cultivars. The nutritional components of the husked seeds of wild rice have not been investigated thus far. Herein, we report on the contents of total protein, starch, amylose, 17 amino acids, and five macro and five trace mineral elements in husked seeds from three wild rice species and six O. sativa cultivars. The mean （± SD） protein content in the husked rice of O. rufipogon, O. officinalis, and O. granulata was （14.5 ± 0.6）%, （16.3 ± 1.1）%, and （15.3 ± 0.5）%, respectively. O. officinalis III originating from Gengma had the highest protein content （19.3%）. In contrast, the average protein content of six O. sativa cultivars was only 9.15%. The total content of 17 amino acids of three wild rice species was 30%-50% higher than that of the six cultivars. Tyrosine, lysine, and valine content in the three wild rice species was 34%-209% higher than that of the cultivars. However, the difference in total starch content among different O. sativa varieties or types of wild rice species was very small. The average amylose content of O. rufipogon, O. officinalis, and O. granulata was 12.0%, 9.7%, and 11.3%, respectively, much lower than that of the indica and japonica varieties （14.37%-17.17%） but much higher than that of the glutinous rice cultivars （3.89%）. The sulfur, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, and ferrite content in the three wild rice species was 30%-158% higher than that of the six cultivars. The considerable difference in some nutritional components among wild rice species and O. sativa cultivars represents a wide biodiversity of Yunnan Oryza species. Based on the results of the present study, it is predicted that some good genetic traits, especially high protein and ideal amylose content, of Yunnan wild rice species may be useful in improving the nutritional value of rice. This is the first report regarding the amino acid, mineral element, protein and amylose content of husked seeds of some Yunnan wild rice species that have important genetic characteristics for rice quality and nutritional value.

Identification of Quantitative Trait Loci Affecting Hemicellulose Characteristics Based on Cell Wall Composition in a Wild and Cultivated Rice Species

Cell wall hemicellulosic polysaccharides are structurally complex and diverse. Knowledge about the synthesis of cell wall hemicelluloses and their biological roles is limited. Quantitative trait loci （QTL） mapping is a helpful tool for the dissection of complex phenotypes for gene identification. In this study, we exploited the natural variation in cell wall monosaccharide levels between a common wild rice, Yuanj, and an elite indica cultivar, Teqing, and performed QTL map- ping with their introgression lines （ILs）. Chemical analyses conducted on the culms of Yuanj and TeqJng showed that the major alterations are found in glucose and xylose levels, which are correlated with specific hemicellulosic polymers. Gly- cosidic linkage examination revealed that, in Yuanj, an increase in glucose content results from a higher level of mixed linkage I^-glucan （MLG）, whereas a reduction in xylose content reflects a low level of xylan backbone and a varied arabi- noxylan （AX） structure. Seventeen QTLs for monosaccharides have been identified through composition analysis of the culm residues of 95 core ILs. Four major QTLs affecting xylose and glucose levels are responsible for 19 and 21% of the phenotypic variance, respectively. This study provides a unique resource for the genetic dissection of rice cell wall forma- tion and remodeling in the vegetative organs.

Characterization of Interspecific Hybrids Between Oryza sativa L, and Three Wild Rice Species of China by Genomic In Situ Hybridization

In the genus Oryza, interspecific hybrids are useful bridges for transferring the desired genes from wild species to cultivated rice （Oryza sativa L.）. In the present study, hybrids between O. sativa （AA genome） and three Chinese wild rices, namely O. rufipogon （AA genome）, O. officinalis （CC genome）, and O. meyeriana （GG genome）, were produced. Agricultural traits of the F1 hybrids surveyed were intermediate between their parents and appreciably resembled wild rice parents. Except for the O. sativa × O. rufipogon hybrid, the other F1 hybrids were completely sterile. Genomic in situ hybridization （GISH） was used for hybrid verification. Wild rice genomic DNAs were used as probes and cultivated rice DNA was used as a block. With the exception of O. rufipogon chromosomes, this method distinguished the other two wild rice and cultivated rice chromosomes at the stage of mitotic metaphase with different blocking ratios. The results suggest that a more distant phylogenetic relationship exists between O. meyeriana and O. sativa and that O. rufipogon and O. sativa share a high degree of sequence homology. The average mitotic chromosome length of O. officinalis and O. meyeriana was 1.25- and 1.51-fold that of O. sativa, respectively. 4＇,6＇-Diamidino- 2-phenylindole staining showed that the chromosomes of O. officinalis and O. meyeriana harbored more heterochromatin, suggesting that the C and G genomes were amplified with repetitive sequences compared with the A genome. Although chromocenters formed by chromatin compaction were detected with wild rice-specific signals corresponding to the C and G genomes in discrete domains of the F1 hybrid interphase nuclei, the size and number of O. meyeriana chromocenters were bigger and greater than those of O. officinalis. The present results provide an important understanding of the genomic relationships and a tool for the transfer of useful genes from three native wild rice species in China to cultivars.

Isolation and Identification of a Functional Centromere Element in the Wild Rice Species Oryza granulata with the GG Genome

The centromere of eukaryotic chromosomes is the crucial locus responsible for sister chromatid cohesion and for correct segregation of chromosomes to daughter cells during cell division. In the structural genomics era, centromeres represent the last frontiers of higher eukaryotic genomes because of their densely methylated, highly repetitive and, heterochromatic DNA （Hall et al., 2004）. Although these functions are conserved among all eukaryotes, centromeric DNA sequences are evolving rapidly （Jiang et al., 2003）.

The study of submicrostructure on leave-back in 9 species of rice

The submicro-characters on the leave-back of 9Oryza species,O.australiensis,O.granulata,O.punctata,O.officinalis,O.latifolia,O.barthii,O.glaberrima,O.rufipogon,and O.sativa were studied with the Scanning ElectricMicroscope(SEM).The leave-back consistedof 3 vertically linked subunits,silica-phellemblock,stomate block,and large-tubercle block

Studies on Pathogenie Fusarium species of rice Bakanae disease and strains

We collected infection plants of rice bakanae desiease from 22 counties (cities) in Hubei Province in 1990-1992. Thirty five isolates of single spore were isolated from the plants. Fusarium species were identified from these isolates based on the method of Booth(1971) and other authors. Six kinds of medium wereused in the experiment. Color and growth rate ofcolonies as well as other characters were determinedfrom cultures grown on PSA. The results showedthat thirty one isolates were Fusarium moniliformevar. zhejiangensis, two isolates were Fusariumgramineum, one was Fusariurn oxysporum, and onewas Fusarium solani.