Segregation Pattern of Aroma in Rice and Molecular Selection for It

Rice is the staple food in Iran. Aroma is a character that has an important role in consumer’s preference and rice price. In this research, inheritance of aroma in F2 generation of crosses between aromatic Sang Tarom with Neda and Nemat non-fragrant varieties was investigated. In this study, along with phenotypic evaluation based on alkaline test from leaf samples, the genetic evaluation was conducted using aroma marker. Based on the results, phenotypic evaluation in F2 segregating populations revealed 3: 1 (non-aromatic: aromatic) ratio. In addition, in molecular evaluation, segregation ratio of 1: 2: 1 (aromatic: heterozygous: non-aromatic) was observed using aroma marker. These results indicate that single recessive gene controls aroma in Sang Tarom variety. Also, marker-assisted selection was used for identification of homozygous aromatic plants in F2 populations. Thus, after selecting phenotypic suitable plants, the homozygous aromatic plants in aforementioned populations were screened at molecular level.