Abstract
We have developed five PCR-based DNA markers for rice blast resistance. All the DNA markers developed in the present study were shown to be located on the same chromosomes as the target blast resistance genes and are estimated to be closely linked with them. Using PCR for these primers, four typical Philippine rice cultivars were found to have different DNA patterns. Furthermore, we have developed a novel primer closely related to soluble starch synthase (SSSI). This primer revealed marked differences between Japonica and Indica subspecies of rice. In addition, the results of PCR were highly correlated with the amylose content. This is due to the close location of granule-bound starch synthase (GBSS) and SSI on rice chromosome six at an approximate map distance of 5cM. The PCR results for 14 typical Philippine rice cultivars also showed high correlation for the amylose content. The present authors developed a formula for estimating the amylose content and gel consistency by multiple regression analyses based on the results of PCR as the explanatory variables.
