Identification of Rice Aromatic Compounds by Solid Phase Micro-Extraction method in GC-MS and Mapping their Controlling QTLs using Microsatellite Marker

Increasing demand for aromatic rice causes their higher price and attracted plant breeder's attention to recognize rice aroma-controlling genes. Highly linked markers with the genes controlling important agronomic traits help to make phenotypic selection, more efficient, effective, reliable and cost-effective compare to the more conventional plant breeding methods. The aim of conducting this research was identification of volatile compounds in rice and mapping their controlling QTLs using SSR markers. The harvested seed of 139 single F2 plants of cross between Mousa-Tarom and 304 were grown in 2010. Volatile compounds extraction, separation and identification of seed samples; harvested from each F2:3 families; was conducted using the sensitive and efficient method of solid phase micro-extraction in gas chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometry apparatus. Alkane compounds of tetradecane, pentadecane, hexadeane and heptadecane were the general identified compounds. The identified QTLs controlling volatile compounds were located on chromosomes 1, 4, 6, 11, and 12. The chromosome number 4 included most of the volatile controlling loci. Out of 14 identified loci, 12 showed different situations of partial, complete or over dominance effects. Heptadecane compound showed the lowest heritability and tetradecane showed more than 50% heritability. Ultimately, in this study, several QTLs having less than 5.4 centiMorgan distances to the marker; the optimal recommended distance between the marker and QTL for selection; were identified.