[Mapping of QTLs controlling chlorophyll content in rice]

Mapping of QTLs controlling chrolophyll content was conducted with the method of multiple-trait composite interval mapping, based on a recombinant inbred (RI) population consisting of 131 lines (F10) derived from a cross between two indica rice varieties, Acc8558 and H359, and on a corresponding genetic map comprising 147 RFLP and 78 AFLP markers. Six QTLs for contents of chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b were detected, respectively. Among them, five QTLs were the same between the two characters. These QTLs were mainly distributed on chromosomes 1 and 4, indicating that the two chromosomes were more important for chlorophyll content. qChlA1c and qChlB1b (these two QTLs were mapped at the same location) showed relatively large effects at all the four observation times and showed the largest effects at the sword leaf period. Another two QTLs (qChlA4a/qChlB4a and qChlA4b/qChlB4b) exhibited significant effects only at the second observation time, suggesting that they might act only at specific developmental stages.