Genome-wide analyses of rice root development QTLs and development of an online resource, Rootbrowse

U Kayalvili,Pala Surya Priya,K Ulaganathan,A Snehalatha,Sukpal Singh,A.R Krishna

doi:10.6026/97320630003279

Abstract

Genetic control of root development in rice is complex and the underlying mechanisms (constitutive and adaptive) are poorly understood. Lowland and upland varieties of indica and japonica rice with contrasting root development characteristics have been crossed, mapping populations developed and a number of QTLs in different chromosomes were identified. As these studies have used different sets of markers and many of the QTLs identified are long, it is difficult to exploit the varietal difference for improved root traits by marker assisted selection and for identification of concerned alleles. Intensive data mining of literature resulted in the identification 861 root development QTLs and associated microsatellite markers located on different chromosomes. The QTL and marker data generated and the genome sequence of rice were used for construction of a relational database, Rootbrowse, using MySQL relational database management system and Bio::DB::GFF schema. The data is viewed using GBrowse visualization tool. It graphically displays a section of the genome and all features annotated on it including the QTLs. The QTLs can be displayed along with SSR markers, protein coding genes and/or known root development genes for prediction of probable candidate genes. Rootbrowse is freely available at http://www.ricebrowse.org.

Highlights

Rice with its poor water use efficiency needs about 5000 liters of water to produce 1 kg of rice and availability of water is the major limiting factor in rice production in irrigated and rain-fed ecosystems due to shrinking ground water resources and frequent occurrence of drought
Roots are an important part of the plant architecture that is involved in foraging for the available water and nutrients in the rhizosphere [3]
Deep root development, which is important for the drought resistance in rice (Oryza sativa L.), is a complex trait combining various root morphologies and show considerable genotypic variation [7, 8]

Summary

Introduction

Rice with its poor water use efficiency needs about 5000 liters of water to produce 1 kg of rice and availability of water is the major limiting factor in rice production in irrigated and rain-fed ecosystems due to shrinking ground water resources and frequent occurrence of drought. Deep root development, which is important for the drought resistance in rice (Oryza sativa L.), is a complex trait combining various root morphologies and show considerable genotypic variation [7, 8]. Adaptive root traits control the level of root development under stress conditions i.e. as an induced response in the root architecture.

Results

Conclusion