Characterization of the Common japonica-Originated Genomic Regions in the High Yielding Varieties Developed from Inter-Subspecific Crosses in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

The inter-subspecific crossing between indica and japonica subspecies in rice have been utilized to improve yield potential in temperate rice. In this study, a comparative study of the genomic regions in the eight high yielding varieties (HYVs) was conducted with those of the four non-HYV varieties. NGS mapping on the Nipponbare reference genome identified a total of 14 common genomic regions of japonica-originated alleles. Interestingly, the HYVs shared the japonica-originated genomic regions on the nine chromosomes, although they were developed from different breeding programs. A panel of 94 varieties was classified into four varietal groups with the 39 SNP markers from 39 genes residing the japonica-originated genomic regions and 16 additional trait-specific SNPs. As expected, the japonica originated genomic regions were present only in JAP and HYV groups with exceptions for Chr4-1 and Chr4-2. The Wx gene located within Chr6-1 was present in HYV and JAP variety groups, while the yield-related genes were conserved as indica alleles in HYVs. The japonica-originated genomic regions and alleles shared by HYVs can be employed in molecular breeding programs for further development of HYVs in rice.