Evaluation of a Newly Identified Mutation Gene that Promotes Root Elongation for Improvement of Drought Avoidance in Rice

抄録

Drought is one of the most serious abiotic stresses for rice cultivation, even under a water saving production system such as the Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) system and upland irrigated fields. In this study, we evaluated the performance of larger root systems in a KM07 mutant under such water management conditions. This mutant line was utilized for breeding and development of new rice germplasm adaptable to drought stress conditions in Mwea, Kenya, by crossing it with the recurrent parent of New Rice for Africa (NERICA), WAB56-104. Three mutant-type F6 lines grown under AWD and upland irrigated conditions showed different responses to drought stress. The mutant type’s greater root growth was observed in lines 2 and 3 under AWD and upland irrigation conditions, respectively. These results suggest that the highly developed root system derived from the KM07 mutant can avoid drought stress under field conditions in Kenya, and it should be utilized as breeding material for drought stress avoidance, along with water management technology.