Exploring Chromosomes segment substitution lines from inter-specific crosses to decipher the genetics of grain weight in rice.
Wild introgression lines (ILs) derived from interspecific crosses between the Oryza sativa mega variety Swarna and Oryza nivara accession, exhibiting significant phenotypic divergence for thousand grain weight (TGW), were subjected to quantitative trait locus sequencing (QTL-seq) to delineate the genomic regions and sequence variations underlying this trait. DNA from individuals with contrasting TGW phenotypes was pooled into high- and low-TGW bulks, followed by whole-genome resequencing to generate high-depth sequence data on Illumina platform. SNP-index and delta SNP-index analyses were performed to identify candidate genomic regions associated with TGW, leveraging statistical thresholds to pinpoint significant QTLs. High-confidence SNPs and InDels within these regions will be characterized to identify putative functional variants linked to grain weight variation, providing novel insights into the genetic determinants of TGW in interspecific rice derivatives.