ARS | Publication request: GENETIC VARIATION IN RICE GERMPLASM EVALUATED BY MORPHOLOGICAL AND MICROSATELLITE LOCI

Submitted to: Soil Science Society of America Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: November 1, 2002
Publication Date: November 1, 2002
Citation: Zeng, L., Kwon, T., Liu, X., Wilson, C., Grieve, C.M. 2002. Genetic variation in rice germplasm evaluated by morphological and microsatellite loci. Soil Science Society of America Annual Meeting, held in Denver, CO. Nov. 10-14, 2002. (CD-ROM).

Technical Abstract: Salinity is the most prevalent problem in irrigated agriculture. The success of genetic improvement for salt tolerance in rice cultivars through traditional breeding is limited in the previous years. This study was designed to evaluate genetic variation among rice genotypes with different performance under salt stress using microsatellite markers. Rice germplasm introduced from different regions were grown in sand tanks in greenhouse and irrigated with nutrient solutions. Plants were measured for agronomic and morphological characters under salt stressed and controlled conditions. Genomic DNA was extracted and amplified using published microsatellite primers. The amplified PCR products were separated in denaturing acrylamide gels and stained using a silver sequencing system (Promega). The data of both microsatellite markers and morphological characters among genotypes were analyzed using the NTSYS-pc statistical package. The genotypes were clustered based on the microsatellite markers using the method of UPGMA. The means of the morphological characters were compared among the clusters by microsatellite markers. The cluster means were significant for the most of the characters investigated. The related results and their implication for salt tolerance breeding were discussed.