[Identification of quantitative trait loci controlling F2 sterility and heading date in rice]

Ninety-six F2 lines derived from a cross between a japonica cultivar Taichung 65 and an indica cultivar Bhadua were developed. At the first step, an RFLP linkage map based on the F2 lines was constructed. The RFLP map contained 94 RFLP makers. F2 sterility and heading date are important agronomic traits of rice; meanwhile heading date is related to many characters of agronomic importance including sterility. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis was carried out to identify genes controlling F2 sterility and heading date. Both single factor analysis and interval analysis were applied for QTL analysis. Two QTLs for F2 spikelet sterility were newly detected on Chromosome 1 and 8. Five QTLs for heading date were detected on Chromosome 1, 4, 6, 8 and 10. Two of them on chromosome 1 and 10 were newly detected. Near-isogenic lines are now under construction for further QTL analysis and gene mapping of these QTLs newly identified in this paper.