Creation of Elite Rice with High-Yield, Superior-Quality and High Resistance to Brown Planthopper Based on Molecular Design

Abstract

Breeding rice (Oryza sativa L.) with high yield, superior quality, desired grain shape and high resistance is the goal of breeding to meet the needs of current consumers. It is usually hard to combine multiple complex traits based on traditional breeding methods because they are frequently antagonistic to each other. However, molecular design breeding, as a novel breeding method, is an optional alternative to this challenge. To demonstrate molecular design breeding, 15 favorable genes from five parent lines were pyramided together to develop elite rice with high-yield, superior-quality, desired grain shape and high resistance to brown planthopper (BPH). The parental lines were 9311, the recurrent parent, carrying APO1, Ghd7, Ghd8 and Gn1a for high yield, GS3 and qSW5 for grain shape, and Wx and ALK for eating and cooking quality; 1880 with Gn8.1 for large panicles; Luo-Yu-Xiang carrying GW7 for grain shape and SBE3, SSIV2 and SSIII for eating and cooking quality; Luoyang6 with Bph6 and Luoyang9 with Bph9 for BPH resistance. After careful screening for the 15 targeted genes, desired phenotype and maximum genetic background from 9311, three molecular design lines with desired phenotypes, named as MD1 (Molecular design 1), MD2 and MD3 were developed. MD3 carried all 15 targeted genes, and MD1 and MD2 had 14 of the 15 targeted genes. Only SBE3 was not introgressed into MD1 and MD2 but this had minimal impact on the gel consistency and alkali spreading value. These newly bred lines exhibited higher yield potential, better grain quality with slender grains, low amylose content, high gel consistency and alkali spreading value, and higher BPH resistance compared to the parent 9311. In this study, we successfully created three novel rice lines with high yield, superior quality and improved BPH resistance by rational molecular design. Our results demonstrate molecular design is a powerful strategy to improve multiple complex traits and will provide a reference for the future commercial rice improvement.