Registration of a blast‐resistant premium medium‐grain rice germplasm Eclipse

Abstract

AbstractEclipse (Reg. no. GP‐149, PI 701081) is a blast‐resistant and ‘Calrose’ type medium‐grain‐quality rice (Oryza sativa L.) germplasm that was developed by the USDA‐ARS Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center, Stuttgart, AR. It was selected from a backcross between a blast‐resistant tropical japonica rice cultivar ‘Katy’ and a temperate japonica medium‐grain rice cultivar ‘M‐202’. Eclipse was evaluated in uniform regional rice nurseries in the southern United States during 2019–2020 and further characterized in Arkansas fields during 2020–2021. Blast resistance was determined under greenhouse and field conditions. Under greenhouse conditions, Eclipse was resistant to races IA45, IB1, IB49, IB54, IC17, IE1, IG1, and IH1, similar to that of Katy. Under naturally infected field conditions in Louisiana and Puerto Rico, Eclipse was resistant to leaf and panicle blast infections, similar to that of Katy. Eclipse has Pi‐ta and Ptr genes and lacks Pi‐b, Pi‐k, and Pi‐z. Eclipse is a semidwarf glabrous type of medium‐grain rice and has a low amylose content, similar to M‐202, and quality of Calrose rice. In the southern United States, Eclipse has an average height of 98.5 cm and yields 6,710 kg grain ha−1. It reaches 50% heading at 84 d after emergence with a lodging incidence of 28.5 and 59% head rice yield. Eclipse is useful for breeding for improving disease resistance and grain quality and can be used directly by rice growers for premium medium‐grain rice production.