Identification of Rice Genotypes Carrying the Pup1 Locus as Potential Donors for Phosphorus Deficiency Tolerance Breeding in Southern India
Kiruba Ganesan *
Centre for Plant Breeding and Genetics, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore-641 003, Tamil Nadu, India.
Ramalingam Jegadeesan
Centre for Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, TNAU, Coimbatore, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Phosphorus deficiency is a major constraint for rice production. The Pup1 locus confers tolerance to low-P conditions. We screened 40 rice genotypes adapted to southern India using 10 Pup1 specific markers. Five genotypes (including Kasalath and IR64-Pup1 checks) showed the complete Kasalath-type haplotype. Three local genotypes (APO, Vandhana, Kalakeri) representing ~7.5% of the positive genotypes (excluding checks) carried the full Pup1 locus and are proposed as promising donors for marker-assisted breeding programs targeting phosphorus use efficiency in southern India.
Keywords: Phosphorus, Pup1, haplotype, markers, rice