Enhanced rice breeding with GLR1_CAPS marker for glabrous hull selection

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Plant Breeding
• Molecular Genetics

Background:

• Rice is a staple food for a significant portion of the global population.
• Trichome-type rice hulls generate dust, causing respiratory allergies and environmental issues.
• Glabrous-type hulls offer cleaner, eco-friendly processing and reduced storage volume, but lack selection markers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a molecular marker for the efficient selection of glabrous rice hulls.
• To provide a tool for breeding programs aiming to develop glabrous rice varieties.

Main Methods:

• Developed a novel cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) marker, GLR1_CAPS.
• Utilized sequence information from the Kompetitive Allele-Specific Polymerase Chain Reaction (KASP) marker KJ05_001, linked to GLR1.
• Identified an MseI recognition site for targeted digestion to create the GLR1_CAPS marker.

Main Results:

• The GLR1_CAPS marker demonstrates tight linkage with the GLR1 gene.
• Tested in 290 diverse rice germplasm lines, confirming broad applicability.
• Successfully validated as an efficient tool for selecting glabrous hulls.

Conclusions:

• The GLR1_CAPS marker is a reliable tool for breeding glabrous rice varieties.
• Facilitates improved rice storage, handling, and processing.
• Contributes to sustainable agriculture and reduced health impacts from rice dust.