| Recently Accepted Publications (page 5) January 2020 |
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This addresses USDA-ARS Research Goal: Crop plants tolerant to environmental extremes
Rohila, J.S., Edwards, J.D., Tran, G.D., Jackson, A.K., and McClung, A.M. 2019. Identification of superior alleles for seedling stage salt tolerance in the USDA rice mini-core collection. Plants, 8(11), 472; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8110472.
In some rice production systems, exposure to saline conditions can occur due to salt water intrusion in irrigation resources. Most rice varieties are very sensitive to saline conditions at the seedling stage. Identifying genetic resources possessing novel genes/alleles for seedling stage salt tolerance is needed to develop new varieties that can withstand these unfavorable production conditions. In this study, a panel of 162 rice accessions from around the world were screened for tolerance of salt stress using a hydroponic system. We identified nine genomic regions associated with salt tolerance that were mapped to five different chromosomes. Of these, none were in the region known to possess the "Saltol" gene, suggesting new probable genes and mechanisms responsible for salt tolerance. Several rice accessions performed better than varieties developed in a salt tolerance rice breeding program in Vietnam, indicating that there is the opportunity to pyramid diverse alleles to make further genetic gains in salt tolerance. Ten highly salt-tolerant accessions, six novel loci, and 16 candidate genes in their vicinity were identified that may be useful in breeding for salt stress tolerance. This information will be useful for improving salt tolerance in modern US rice varieties that will mitigate salt affected soils and increase profitability for rice production in the USA.
