Genome-wide SNP discovery, linkage mapping, and analysis of QTL for morpho-physiological traits in rice during vegetative stage under drought stress

Drought tolerance in rice is controlled by several genes and is inherited quantitatively. Low genetic map density and the use of phenotypic traits that do not reflect the corresponding tolerance level have been obstacles in genetic analyses performed to identify genes that control drought-tolerant traits in rice. The current study aimed to construct a genetic map from high-density single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers generated from genome sequences of recombinant inbred lines (RILs), derived from IR64 × Hawara Bunar. Moreover, it sought to analyze the quantitative trait loci (QTL) and identify the drought tolerance candidate genes. A linkage map along 1980 cM on the 12 rice chromosomes was constructed employing 55,205 SNP markers resulting from the RIL genome sequences. A total of 175 morpho-physiological traits pertaining to drought stress were determined. A total of 41 QTLs were detected in 13 regions on rice chromosomes 1, 3, 6, 8, 9, and 12. Moreover, three hotspot QTL regions were found on chromosomes 6 and 8, along with two major QTL on chromosome 9. Differential gene expression for the loci within the QTL physical map intervals revealed many potential candidate genes. The markers tightly linked to the QTL and their candidate genes can potentially be used for pyramiding in marker-assisted breeding in order to achieve genetic improvement concerning the tolerance of rice to drought stress.

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The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-021-01095-y.

The expression of OsPLA2-III and OsPPO genes in rice (Oryza sativa L.) under Fe toxicity stress

Lipids are an important biomolecule in plants because of their structural and functional roles in plant cells. Moreover, they could act as signal molecules in the defense system of plants suffering from biotic and abiotic stresses. Furthermore, plants develop various tolerance strategies to cope with iron (Fe) toxicity, for example, by involving genes in the detoxification process and other mechanisms. Therefore, the objective of this research was to investigate the expression of OsPLA2-III and OsPPO genes during Fe stress conditions. It was carried out using two-week-old seedlings of two rice varieties, namely, IR64 (Fe-sensitive variety) and Pokkali (Fe-tolerant variety). The seedlings were treated with 400 ppm FeSO4.7H2O in the nutrient culture solution and compared with control that received 1 ppm FeSO4.7H2O. Furthermore, leaf bronzing, chlorophyll content and relative expression of OsPLA2-III and OsPPO genes were observed. An in-silico study was also performed to predict the interaction between OsPLA2-III and OsPPO proteins. The results showed that the Fe toxicity induced leaf bronzing, decreased leaf chlorophyll content, and increased the expression levels of OsPLA2-III and OsPPO genes. Therefore, both genes were suggested to have a role in plant tolerance mechanism during Fe toxicity stress through the lipid signaling pathway.

OsGERLP: A novel aluminum tolerance rice gene isolated from a local cultivar in Indonesia

There is a decrease in the land available for rice cultivation due to the rapid conversion to urban uses. Subsequently, acid soil could be an alternative land cultivating rice, but will require the use of aluminum (Al)-tolerant rice varieties. This Al tolerance trait is genetically controlled, and there is a need to discover more genes needed to develop Al-tolerant rice. Therefore, the objective of this study was to clone and characterize a novel Al tolerance gene isolated from a local cultivar of Indonesian rice. The gene cloning was conducted based on the rye/rice microsynteny relationship. In addition, the root growth and gene expression analyses were performed to verify the role of the gene on Al tolerance in gene-silenced rice and in overexpressed transgenic tobacco. The results showed an Al tolerance candidate gene, OsGERLP, was successfully cloned from rice cv. Hawara Bunar, with its gene encoding a protein similar to a bacterial ribosomal L32 protein. Additionally, the analysis showed that low gene expression caused the gene-silenced rice to be sensitive to Al, while high expression induced the Al tolerance in transgenic tobacco. Furthermore, it was discovered that the gene expression level in both plants was in line with the lower expression of the OsFRDL4 gene in the silenced rice and the high expression of the MATE gene in transgenic tobacco also with the higher citrate secretion from transgenic tobacco roots. In conclusion, the OsGERLP gene could act as a regulator for other Al tolerance genes, with the potential to develop Al-tolerant rice varieties.

Iron toxicity-induced physiological and metabolite profile variations among tolerant and sensitive rice varieties

Iron toxicity stress causes physiological and metabolic changes in rice and other plants. To date, there is little information about the metabolite profile of rice under Fe toxicity conditions. In fact, metabolite has a contribution to the physiological condition of plants. Plant metabolomics is a study of low-molecular weight metabolites in plants under certain conditions. The objective of the research was to investigate physiological and metabolic changes in rice under Fe toxicity stress. Two-week-old seedlings of four rice varieties with various Fe toxicity tolerance levels were stressed hydroponically with 400 ppm FeSO4.7H2O for 10 d. Numerous physiological characters were observed and untargeted metabolomic analysis was carried out using gas chromatography-mass spectrophotometry (GC-MS). The results showed Fe toxicity induced physiological and metabolite variation in rice. By comparing the metabolites synthesized in Fe toxicity-stressed plants with control plants, it showed that elaidic acid, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid could be as metabolite marker candidates for rice response to Fe toxicity stress. When plants exposed to Fe toxicity stress, elaidic acid increased, whereas linoleic- and linolenic acid decreased. The alteration of fatty acid composition in the root and shoot suggests the alteration of metabolites is one of the tolerance strategies of rice to Fe toxicity stress. This finding offers an insight about the tolerance strategies of rice under Fe toxicity stress related to the maintenance process of the cell membranes during this stress. The genes underlying biosynthesis of the fatty acid could be a target of future research on responsible genes for Fe toxicity tolerance in rice.

Morphological Diversity of Local Sorghum Cultivar (Sorghum bicolor) of East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

Sorghum has great potential to be developed in marginal lands of Indonesia including East Nusa Tenggara. However, the information about sorghum diversity in this area was very limited. This research aimed to describe morphological variation, and assessing the value of genetic diversity based on morphological characters of local sorghum cultivar of East Nusa Tenggara. The exploration and sample collection were conducted in 3 islands, i.e.: Timor, Sumba, and Flores. The observation of morphological characters was based on sorghum descriptor. Morphological character similarities were analyzed using Simple Matching (SM) coefficient, and a dendrogram was constructed using Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Average (UPGMA) method. The results showed that 36 accessions of sorghum in East Nusa Tenggara varied in 17 morphological characters. At the similarity coefficients of 48%, all sorghum accessions were separated into 2 groups based on the presence or absence of aleurone layer. Group I consisted of 12 accessions with no aleurone layer, while group II consisted of 24 accessions has aleurone layer. The genetic diversity of sorghum of East Nusa Tenggara is low (I=0.62–0.71 and h=0.37-0.42). The genetic diversity between populations (HT=0.4203) is higher than within populations (HS=0.3961). This study provides the first complete information about sorghum diversity in East Nusa Tenggara that will be useful as basic information for sorghum development in this area in the future.