APPLICATION OF MARKER-ASSISTED SELECTION IN RICE FOR BACTERIAL-BLIGHTRESISTANCE GENE, XA21

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based marker-assisted selection for a disease resistance gene was employed in a rice improvement programme. PCR amplification using sequence-tagged site (STS) primers specific to bacterial blight resistance gene Xa21-linked marker resulted in ampli fied products of the expected molecular weights for each of the three genotypic classes, homozygous resistant, homozygous susceptible and he terozygous and facilitated selection of plants carrying the desired ge ne for further advancing the breeding material.