QTL mapping of low-temperature germinability and identification of qLTG1 candidate genes in rice

Low-temperature is one of the environmental stress factors that affect plant growth and development and consequently limit crop productivity. The control of seed germination under low-temperature is organized by many genes which are called quantitative trait loci (QTLs). High germination rate for low-temperature is an important factor of growing rice. Previously, we identified a major QTL controlling low-temperature germinability in rice using 96 introgression lines (ILs) derived from a cross between Oryza rufipogon (Rufi) and the Korean japonica cultivar, 'Hwaseongbyeo (HS)'. A $BC_3F_7$ line (TR5) showed better low-temperature germinability than its recurrent parent. TR5 was crossed with HS to develop a segregating F2:3 populations for the target QTL. Six SSR markers polymorphic between HS and Rufi were used to screen and fine map the qLTG1. The qLTG1 on chromosome 1, which accounted for 55.5% of the total phenotypic variation, confirmed that Rufi allele enhanced the low-temperature germinability. Intervals between markers CRM16 and CRM15, four candidate genes were identified. The identified candidate genes, which are encoded by a protein of unknown function, showed their direct involvement on seed germination at low-temperature. To identify genes targeted by qLTG1, we investigated the expression profiles of these candidate genes and germination behavior of qLTG1 under different stress conditions and compared to HS, Rufi, and TR5 at $13{\pm}2^{\circ}C$ for 3 days after incubation. Furthermore, transgenic rice plants will also be developed to conduct a detailed investigation on low-temperature germinability. Hence, the QTL for low-temperature germinability would be useful in rice breeding programs especially in the development of lines possessing low-temperature germinability.