Mapping of QTLs for eating and cooking quality-related traits in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

The increasing living standard of customers has resulted in a demand for the improvement of the cooking, eating, and appearance quality of rice grains, which have become a priority for rice breeders and geneticists. In this study, a double haploid population derived from the cross between japonica CJ06 and indica TN1 was used to analyze the quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for amylose content, gel consistency (GC), gelatinization temperature (GT), protein content, and grain hardness under two different conditions. A total of 18 QTLs were detected on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 10, and 12, with the additive heritability ranging from 10.4 to 66.3 %. Eight of them were identified both in Hangzhou and Hainan. Moreover, five-locus epistatic interactions were identified except for GC, and two QTLs for GT exhibited environmental interaction effects. The results facilitate further understanding of the genetic basis for eating and cooking quality, nutritive quality, and milling quality.