Population Structure of Oryza alta Swallen as a Potential Wild Rice Variety for Cultivated Rice Improvement

O. alta is an important wild rice harboring many elite genes. However, the wild rice belongs to the allotetraploid (CCDD) and has a complex genetic background. It is difficult to utilize its genetic resource in rice breeding. Therefore, it is necessary to systematically observe the segregation (population structure) of the offspring of its inbred population, to provide a better basis for further gene editing and selection.

Total of 371 plants from self-bred offspring of O. alta which were planted in the experimental field of South China Agricultural University were employed in which the main agronomic traits, of O. alta were investigated. Population structure of self-crossed ten generations of O. alta was conducted by investigating about ten agronomic traits of this wild rice.

My investigation found significant differences in most of the main agronomic traits that include reduction in plant height, confirming the consistence of O. alta new line compared to the conventional breed. Furthermore, the experiment observed strong panicles, thicker and wider leaves in new lines as compared to typical wild and cultivated rice, approving that populating the structure of O. alta will surely allow the study of genomic DNA variations and pave way to DNA analysis of wild rice line using re-sequencing.