Deciphering the Genetic Basis of Lodging Resistance in Wild RiceOryza longistaminata

The abuse of fertilizer results in tall rice plants that are susceptible to lodging and reduced plant yield. Hence, it is important to identify and utilize the quantitative trait loci (QTLs)/genes for lodging resistance breeding.Oryza longistaminataexhibits a strong stem and high biomass productivity, which could be a candidate gene pool for cultivars lodging resistance improvement. Here, a set of 152 BC(2)F(20)lines derived from a cross between a cultivated line 93-11 andO. longistaminatawas evaluated for lodging resistance. QTL mapping analysis combined with single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) marker derived from high-throughput sequencing identified 12 QTLs for stem diameter (SD), 11 QTLs for stem length (SL), and 3 QTLs for breaking strength (BS). Of which, 14 QTLs were first identified fromO. longistaminata. A major QTL,qLR1, which was delimited to a region similar to 80 kb on chromosome 1, increased stem diameter, stem length, and breaking strength. Another major QTL,qLR8, that was delimited in an interval similar to 120 kb on chromosome 8, significantly enhanced the breaking strength. These results provide evidence thatO. longistaminatacan be exploited to develop lodging-resistant rice lines.