Improving grain appearance of erect-panicle japonica rice cultivars by introgression of the null gs9 allele

The panicle architecture and grain size of rice affect not only grain yield but also grain quality,especially grain appearance.The erect-panicle(EP)trait controlled by the qpe9-1/dep1 allele has been widely used in high-yielding japonica rice breeding,but usually accompanied with moderate appearance of milled rice.The null gs9 allele shows a good potential for improving grain shape and appearance.However,GS9 and qPE9-1/DEP1 loci are tightly linked,and their interaction is unclear,which obviously restricts their utilization in modern rice breeding.In the present study,comparative analyses of protein and mRNA levels revealed that GS9 and qPE9-1 function independently.Three nearisogenic lines(NILs)carrying various allelic combinations of these two loci,NIL(gs9/qpe9-1),NIL(GS9/qPE9-1)and NIL(gs9/qPE9-1),in the EP japonica cultivar 2661(GS9/qpe9-1)background were developed for genetic interaction analysis.GS9 and qPE9-1 had additive effects on determining grain size,and the null gs9 allele could decrease grain chalkiness and improve grain appearance without affecting plant and panicle architecture in EP japonica cultivars.Additionally,introgression lines(ILs)developed in another released EP japonica cultivar Wuyujing 27(WYJ27)background showed the same additive effect and the feasibility of utilizing the gs9 allele to improve grain appearance quality in high-yielding EP cultivars.This study provides an effective strategy for rice breeders to improve rice grain appearance in EP japonica and related cultivars.

Identification of Quantitative Trait Loci for Grain Appearance and Milling Quality Using a Doubled-Haploid Rice Population

Improving grain quality, which is composed primarily of the appearance of the grain and its cooking and milling attributes, is a major objective of many rice-producing areas in China. In the present study, we conducted a marker-based genetic analysis of the appearance and milling quality of rice （Oryza sativa L.） grains using a doubled-haploid population derived from a cross between the indica inbred Zhenshan 97 strain and the japonica inbred Wuyujing 2 strain. Quantitative trait locus （QTL） analysis using a mixed linear model approach revealed that the traits investigated were affected by one to seven QTLs that individually explained 4.0%-30.7% of the phenotypic variation. Cumulatively, the QTL for each trait explained from 12.9% to 61.4% of the phenotypic variation. Some QTLs tended to have a pleiotropic or location-linked association as a cause of the observed phenotypic correlations between different traits. Improvement of the characteristics of grain appearance and grain weight, as well as an improvement in the milling quality of rice grains, would be expected by a recombination of different QTLs using marker-assisted selection.

A rare Waxy allele coordinately improves rice eating and cooking quality and grain transparency

In rice(Oryza sativa), amylose content(AC) is the major factor that determines eating and cooking quality(ECQ). The diversity in AC is largely attributed to natural allelic variation at the Waxy(Wx)locus. Here we identified a rare Wx allele, Wx^(mw) ,which combines a favorable AC, improved ECQ and grain transparency. Based on a phylogenetic analysis of Wx genomic sequences from 370 rice accessions, we speculated that Wx^(mw) may have derived from recombination between two important natural Wx alleles, Wx^(in) and Wx^(b). We validated the effects of Wx^(mw) on rice grain quality using both transgenic lines and near-isogenic lines(NILs). When introgressed into the japonica Nipponbare(NIP) background, Wx^(mw) resulted in a moderate AC that was intermediate between that of NILs carrying the Wx^(b)allele and NILs with the Wx^(mp) allele. Notably, mature grains of NILs fixed for Wx^(mw) had an improved transparent endosperm relative to soft rice. Further, we introduced Wx^(mw) into a high-yielding japonica cultivar via molecular marker-assisted selection: the introgressed lines exhibited clear improvements in ECQ and endosperm transparency. Our results suggest that Wx^(mw) is a promising allele to improve grain quality, especially ECQ and grain transparency of high-yielding japonica cultivars, in rice breeding programs.

Novel Wx alleles generated by base editing for improvement of rice grain quality

Amylose content(AC),which is regulated by the Waxy(Wx)gene,is a major indicator of eating and cooking quality(ECQ)in rice(Oryza sativa).Thus far,only a limited number of mutations in the N-terminal domain of Wx were found to have a major impact on the AC of rice grains and no mutations with such effects were reported for other regions of the Wx protein.Here,nucleotide substitutions in the middle region of Wx were generated by adenine and cytosine base editors.The nucleotide substitutions led to changes in 15 amino acid residues of Wx,and a series of novel Wx alleles with ACs of 0.3%-29.43%(wild type with AC of 19.87%)were obtained.Importantly,the waxy~(abe2)allele showed a"soft rice"AC,improved ECQ,favorable appearance,and no undesirable agronomic traits.The transgenes were removed from the waxy~(abe2)progeny,generating a promising breeding material for improving rice grain quality.