Genetic analysis for grain yield and iron content in segregating generations of rice

Abstract

In India, rice is the staple food for more than 65% of the population, contributing newlineapproximately 40% of the total food grain production. The leading rice producing states are newlineWest Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Chhattisgarh. Over newline33% of the world s populations are suffering from Fe deficiency anaemia (IDA) and upto newline20% are Zn deficient (Garcia-Oliveira et al., 2018). Under this scenario, hidden hunger has newlinebecome a global challenge, with Fe and Zn being two highly prevalent nutritional deficiencies newlinein humans (Rawat et al., 2013, UNEP, 2021). But rice grain usually harbour very minimum newlineamount of Fe (5-6 mg/kg) as compared to the target fixed (Fe: 40 ppm) to meet the newlinerecommended daily allowance (RDA) of 10-15 mg Fe/day (FAO/WHO, 2000 and Welch and newlineGraham 2004). The requirement of iron for an infant is 0.27 mg/ day, while a male aged 19- newline50 years requires 8.0 mg/day and a female in the same age range needs 18 mg/day. The newlinebiofortification strategies will need to be introduced in local, high-yield genetic backgrounds newlineand which need a combination of genetic engineering, conventional breeding and agronomic newlinepractices. newlineThe present investigation involves the study of genetic variability, gene action that newlinecontrols the trait under improvement, combining ability and selection of desirable parents for newlinehybridization programme or identification of superior crosses for commercial exploitation of newlineheterosis. The experimental material consisting of 72 test genotypes including 55 released newlinevarieties, 12 improved breeding lines and 5 local land races of rice germplasm were evaluated newlinefor selection of high iron content parents through qualitative (Prussian blue method) and newlinequantitative (AAS method) screening methods. Based on the preliminary screening (Prussian newlineblue method, AAS method), twenty four genotypes were selected and raised during kharif newlinesummer 2022 in Randomized Block Design with two replications and six parents were selected newlinebased on the genetic divergence for development of crosses in a half