Association analysis for yield and its component traits in lines and cultivars of upland rice

Abstract

The objective of this work was to identify, through analysis of associative mapping, the molecular markers related to upland rice yield and its component traits. One hundred thirteen lines and cultivars of upland rice, with reduced admixture, from the Rice Core Collection of Embrapa, were used. The following yield component traits were evaluated: number of panicles per meter, number of grains per panicle, and weight of 100 grains. Out of the 115 used markers, 25 (21.7%) were significantly associated with one or more traits. Among the 29 SSR (simple sequence repeats) co‑located in yield QTL (quantitative trait loci) in rice, 12 were associated with the evaluated traits and considered candidates for use in marker‑assisted selection. The markers NP914540, Q6ZGD1, and Q69JE3, associated with the number of grains per panicle, are not yet annotated in rice and should constitute the starting point for functional genomics studies. Among the markers derived from transcribed sequences, NP914526 and NP914533 stand out for belonging to metabolic pathways related to increased yield potential of rice.