The Philippines
August 25, 2022
An award-winning collaborative study has discovered genetic variations correlated to root plasticity, a trait vital for drought resistance, from selected rice germplasm in the Philippines.
Root plasticity is the ability of the root system to change its architecture and maintain a plant’s productivity by promoting growth and development, during the stresses brought about by changing soil conditions.
The 2022 Outstanding Scientific Paper in this year’s 44th Annual Scientific Meeting of the National Academy of Science and Technology wrote that 17 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in six chromosomes were identified from 119 traditional rice varieties (TRV) evaluated under well-watered and drought induced field trials (line-source sprinkler system).
The SNPs are significantly correlated to root plasticity traits under soil moisture stress conditions. The researchers noted that one possible candidate gene associated with root plasticity under severe drought stress was found in Chromosome 2.
SNP is a variation at a single position in a DNA sequence among individuals and is responsible for genetic diversity. In this study, the SNPs across the genome of TRVs associated with root plasticity was examined through genome-wide association analysis.
“Out of the germplasms tested under drought conditions, Baksalan Kawalwal showed the most promising results for root plasticity under fluctuating soil moisture,” Jonathan Niones, main investigator of the study, said.
Information on the TRVs’ root plasticity will be useful for breeders in improving the adaptation and yield of rice under less favorable environments, according to Niones.
Titled “Genome-wide Association Mapping for the Identification of SNPs Controlling Lateral Root Plasticity in Selected Rice Germplasms of the Philippines,” the study was conducted by researchers from PhilRice, DA-Crop Biotechnology Center (DA-CBC), and UP Los Baños (UPLB).
Co-authors were Maria Corazon J. Cabral of PhilRice’s Genetic Resources Division, Dr. Roel R. Suralta, Dr. Nonawin Lucob-Agustin, and Antoinette S. Cruz of the DA-CBC, and Dr. Desiree Hautea and Patrick Louie Lipio of UPLB.
The paper was published in the Philippine Journal of Science and can be read here: https://philjournalsci.dost.gov.ph/publication.
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