Full Length Research Paper

Bayesian dissection for genetic architecture of traits associated with nitrogen utilization efficiency in rice

Zhongze Piao¹, Maobai Li¹, Peide Li³, Jianming Zhang¹, Chunmei Zhu⁴, Hui Wang¹, Zhixiang Luo⁵, Jungro Lee⁶ and Runqing Yang ²*

¹Crop Breeding and Cultivation Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 201106, China.

²School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200240, China.

³Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China.

⁴Haifeng Farm of Shanghai, Jiangsu Dafeng 224100.

⁵Rice Research Institute, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anhui 230031, China.

⁶National institute of agricultural biotechnology rural development administration Suwon 441707, Republic of Korea.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: runqingyang@sjtu.edu.cn. Tel: +86-21-34206146.

Accepted 20 November, 2009

   Abstract

Nitrogen is one of the key important nutrients in rice production. High rice grain yield is greatly dependent upon economic nitrogen input and genetic factors. In order to locate quantitative loci for traits associated with nitrogen utilization efficiency in rice, F9 recombinant inbred lines derived from a Korean tongil type Dasanbyeo and a Chinese japonica variety TR22183 was genetically designed. The six traits of interest were observed on 155 RILs, along with 105 SSR and 103 STS markers. Bayesian model selection technique was used to dissect genetic architecture for traits of interest. A total of 28 main-effect QTLs and 23 pairs of epistatic QTLs were detected for traits associated with nitrogen utilization efficiency. The proportions of phenotypic variation explained by the detected QTLs ranged from 0.09 to 16.90% and from 0.19 to 12.76% for main-effect and epistatic QTLs, respectively. Sixteen of main-effect QTLs interacted with nitrogen level. One pleiotropic QTL was found, governing simultaneously nitrogen dry matter production efficiency and Nitrogen grain production efficiency.

Key words: Rice, nitrogen utilization efficiency, QTL, epistatic, interaction of QTL × nitrogen level.