Identification of QTLs for leaf rolling and relative water content under water stress condition in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Leaf Rolling (LR) and Relative Water Content of leaves (RWC), a measurement of plant water status are considered to be visible indicators of drought tolerance in rice. LR and RWC were governed by Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs). In present investigation, we identified QTLs for LR and RWC using a Doubled Haploid (DH) population of 154 rice lines derived from the cross CT9993-5-10-1-M x IR62266-42-6-2. DH population was evaluated for leaf rolling and RWC under water stressed condition in two different trails at different locations. QTL analyses at both location revealed that the functional LR and RWC are regulated by several major QTLs accounting for a large portion of the genetic variation. Nine QTLs for LR and two QTLs for RWC were identified, among these one QTL for LR located on chromosome one flanked by EM11_11 and EM4_18 was found to be common across the environments in both trails. Identification of stable QTL for LR across two different locations strengthened the probability of QTL and the results can efficiently used for the identification of candidate genes, which subsequently helps in development of drought tolerant variety.