Identification and mapping of QTLs for agronomic traits in recombinant inbred line population derived from Japonica X Indica sub- species in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most important crops in the world, especially Asian countries. Genetics of important traits in rice for yield improvement have always been a major breeding objective. Agronomic traits are inherited quantitatively, so quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping for the potential use of molecular markers would be very helpful to plant breeders in developing improved rice varieties. In this investigation, a SSR linkage map of rice was constructed using 40 polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. The mapping population of 121 F11 families derived from the cross JNPT89x IR64 (Japonica x Indica) was used for QTL mapping of agronomic traits. As many as 21 QTLs were detected to be associated with agronomic characteristics; some of them are being reported for the first time. The identified QTLs on specific chromosome regions explaining high phenotypic variance could be considered to use in marker-assisted selection (MAS) programs.