Eok-Keun Ahn

Development of Resistant Gene-Pyramided Japonica Rice for Multiple Biotic Stresses Using Molecular Marker-Assisted Selection

Advances in plant molecular techniques have dramatically widened the applicability of gene identification and pyramiding valuable genes. This study was carried out to pyramid five resistance genes for biotic stress into the japonica rice cultivar using marker-assisted selection (MAS) and marker-assisted background analysis of selected progenies using SSR markers. The Pi40, Xa4, xa5, Xa21 and Bph18 genes were combined in Jinbubyeo, a Korean japonica rice variety using MAS. Gene specific co-dominant PCR-based markers were used to select for homozygous recombinant lines in a segregating population derived from a cross between the parental homozygous resistant gene introgression lines. We had successfully developed multiple gene pyramided breeding lines (GPLs) for bacterial blight, blast, and brown planthopper using MAS in rice. The GPLs exhibited high resistance against biotic stress and had around 93% of the genetic background of the recurrent parent Jinbubyeo based on SSR graphical mapping. The yield and agronomic traits of the GPLs were similar to those of the recurrent parent, indicating that there is no apparent agronomic trait penalty associated with the presence of the resistance genes. The strategy of simultaneous foreground and phenotypic selection to introduce multiple R genes is very useful to reduce the cost and the time required for the isolation of desirable recombinants with target resistance genes in rice. The GPLs could be useful to enhance effective resistance for biotic stress and produce stable grain yield in japonica rice breeding programs.

A high biomass yield and whole crop silage rice cultivar 'Mogyang'.

‘Mogyang’, a new high biomass yield and whole crop silage rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivar, is developed by the rice breeding team of National Institute of Crop Science, R.D.A., Suwon, Korea, during the period from was to 2010 and released in 2011. It was derived from a cross between SR24592-HB2319/IR73165-B-6-1-1. This cultivar has about 118 days of growth duration from seeding to heading and has long and erect leaves (culm length 93 cm). It has tough thick culm with strong lodging tolerance. This cultivar has a few less tillers per hill and markedly more spikelet numbers per panicle. ‘Mogyang’ has wide and stay green leaf compared other whole crop silage varieties. This new variety has grain shattering resistance and disease resistance for blast and dwarf virus. This variety has good qualities for whole crop silage with high TDN (Total Digestive Nutrient) yield and low NDF (Neutral Detergent Fiber) and low ADF (Acid Detergent Fiber) compared to common high grain yield varieties. The biomass and TDN yield performance of ‘Mogyang’ was 59.5% (chemical properties), 17.7 MT/ha (biomass yield), individually in local adaptability test for three years. ‘Mogyang’ is adaptable to central plain area, southern plain area of Korea.

Lodging and Pre-harvest Sprouting Tolerant, High Quality and Suitable for Processing Cooked Rice ‘Jungmo1017’

The ‘Jungmo1017’ is a japonica rice variety developed from a cross between Suweon462 which has a good plant architecture, cold tolerance, moderately tolerant to leaf blast and bacterial blight and medium maturing habit, and Yeongdeog34 which has translucent milled rice and good milling properties, by the rice breeding team at NICS, RDA in 2011. The heading date of ‘Jungmo1017’ is August 16 and it is six days later than ‘Hwaseong’. ‘Jungmo1017’ has 65 cm of culm length which is 18 cm shorter than those of ‘Hwaseong’ and 93 spikelet per panicle. The pre-harvest sprouting rate of ‘Jungmo1017’ is 8.6% that is lower than 27.7% of ‘Hwaseong’ on local adaptability test (LAT). It showed resistance to blast diseases and moderately resistant to bacterial blight (K1 race) and stripe virus, but susceptible to other races (K2, K3 and K3a) of bacterial blight, viruses and planthoppers. The milled rice of this variety exhibits translucent, clear non-glutinous endosperm and medium short grain shape. It has better palatability index of cooked rice (0.53) than that of ‘Hwaseong’. ‘Jungmo1017’ showed lower protein content (6.4%) and amylose content (18.0%). ‘Jungmo1017’ could use aseptic-packaged cooked rice or processing cooked rice because its hardness of cooked rice is soft, setback and balance is low and palatability of cold and aseptic rice showed high score. The characters related to milling is better than those of ‘Hwaseong’. ‘Jungmo1017’ showed 5.01 MT/ha of milled rice productivity at 7 sites of middle plain, southern mid-mountainous and south-east coastal area in ordinary cultivation. ‘Jungmo1017’ could be adaptable to the middle plain area in Korea.