The Effect of indica/Xian Pedigree Introgression in japonica/Geng Rice Breeding in China

To demonstrate the impact of indica/Xian (XI) pedigree introgression on the yield and quality of japonica/Geng (GJ) rice varieties, providing a theoretical basis and genomic resources for optimizing XI pedigree introgression breeding programs in northern GJ rice.

In this study, the whole genome sequence on Illumina platform was employed to elucidate the effects of XI pedigree introgression on the yield and quality of rice in Northeast China were analyzed using recombinant inbred lines (RIL) derived from the cross between XI and GJ varieties, and 74 major GJ varieties grown from Heilongjiang, Liaoning, Shandong, and Jiangsu provinces as test materials. Using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology to knock out the unfavorable genes introduced by XI pedigree introgression.

Analysis of RIL revealed a significant positive correlation between XI pedigree introgression and panicle length, grain length, and a negative correlation with head rice ratio. XI pedigree introgression was significantly negatively correlated with Amylose content, and significantly positively correlated with protein content in Jiangsu. With the increase of latitude, the correlation efficiency between XI pedigree introgression and grain shape increased, while the correlation between XI pedigree introgression and panicle length and head rice ratio decreased. The genomic fragments of XI pedigree introgression are unevenly distributed across different chromosomes and are more abundantly present on chromosomes 1, 10, 11, and 12. The XI pedigree introgression of the major cultivars in Jiangsu and Liaoning provinces is significantly higher than that in Heilongjiang and Shandong provinces, and the XI pedigree introgression of the cultivars after 2000 is significantly higher than that before 2000. The XI pedigree introgression includes multiple resistance and fertility-related genes. The project identified an XI pedigree introgression fragment on chromosome 5 of YF47, including the XI type grain regulatory gene GS5 and XI type chalkiness regulatory gene Chalk5, which increased the 1000 grain weight of YF47 but affected its chalkiness-related traits. The project uses CRISPR/Cas9 technology to knock out the Chalk5 gene of YF47. The grain shape of the homozygous gene editing plants is similar to those of YF47, and its chalkiness character has been significantly improved.

The XI pedigree introgression mainly increases the yield potential of GJ rice by increasing the number of grains per panicle, but has a negative impact on milling quality. Exploring the unfavorable alleles in varieties through high-throughput genome sequencing, combined with CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, to break the genetic drag in breeding using the cross between XI and GJ, is an efficient breeding strategy that can quickly and accurately improve target traits.