Morpho-molecular profiling of rice (Oryza sativa L.) germplasm for submergence tolerance using SSR markers.
Mazhar HS, Tabassum J, Sarfraz S, Shahzadi F, Sabar M
Climate Adaptation
The rice varieties flooding researchers have now flagged as resilient are the ones most likely to end up in your pantry as climate-driven floods increasingly threaten South Asian harvests — fewer crop losses there means more stable global rice supplies.
Scientists tested 20 different rice varieties by submerging them under floodwater — mimicking what happens during bad monsoon seasons — and measured which ones survived best and still produced decent yields. They also found specific genetic 'fingerprints' in the DNA of the toughest varieties that breeders can use as shortcuts to build flood-tolerance into new rice strains faster. The goal is to create rice that can bounce back after being underwater for days or weeks, which is increasingly common as climate change makes floods more severe.
Key Findings
Three cultivars — KSK-282, ELT-53, and KSK-133 — showed significantly higher survival rates than the other 17 rice genotypes tested under natural stagnant flood conditions.
Three SSR genetic markers (RM 7481, RM 23869, and RM 23865) successfully distinguished flood-tolerant from flood-sensitive genotypes, providing molecular tools for breeding programs.
Genotype PK-SUB-15-35 carried the SUB1 allele (a known flood-tolerance gene region) and demonstrated the highest overall submergence tolerance among all tested varieties.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers in Pakistan tested 20 rice varieties for their ability to survive prolonged flooding, identifying three cultivars with high survival rates and three genetic markers that reliably distinguish flood-tolerant from flood-sensitive rice. These tools can help breeders develop rice that stays productive even as monsoon flooding worsens under climate change.
Abstract Preview
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a primary staple for more than half of the world's population, ranking as the third most-consumed cereal globally and a key contributor to food security. However, climate ...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
Was this useful?
Want to tell us more? (optional)
Thanks for the note!
Something went wrong — please try again.
Too many submissions. Try again in an hour.
Chloroplast Genome Editing Eliminates Gluten Immunogenicity in Triticum aestivum
It could mean that people with celiac disease — roughly 1 in 100 worldwide — may one day safely eat bread made from real wheat, without sacrificing the taste...
Rice is a cereal grain and in its domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species Oryza sativa —or, much less commonly, Oryza glaberrima. Asian rice was domesticated in China some 13,500 to 8,200 y...