Middle indica cultivars are planted in the middle to lower regions of the Yangtze River. Hybrid combinations with these cultivars have a high yield potential but the presence of late-transgressive-segregants limits the further exploitation of heterosis. To understand the genetic basis of the heading date in these middle maturing cultivars, we carried out a genetic analysis of 10 typical middle-season cultivars using a number of heading date isogenic lines under both long and short day conditions. The results showed that Teqing, 752, CDR22, Bo B, 9311 and 11-32B carry two photoperiod sensitive genes E1 or Se.1 and E3, and Teqing, 752 and CDR22 carry a dominant early-heading gene Ef-1 while Bo B, 9311 and 11-32B carry a recessive late-heading gene ef-1. Based on the findings of the present and previous works on Guichao 2, Minghui 63, Nanjing 11 and Pei＇ai64S, it was concluded that all of these middle indica cultivars carried the recessive allele hd2, which could inhibit the expression of El or Se.1, and they formed rational combinations of genotype for heading date during a long period of evolution. The effects of the different combinations of genotype for heading date on rice cultivation and extension were discussed, and genetic basis of broad adaptability of hybrid middle indica cultivars was analyzed.
Jun-Feng XuLing JiangXiang-Jin WeiWen-Wei ZhangShi-Jia LiuLiang-Ming ChenLin-Guang LuoJian-Min Wan
USSR5, a japonica rice variety from the former Soviet Union, is an extremely early maturing rice variety. To elucidate the genetic basis for its early heading, genetic analysis was carried out by crossing it with a set of major gene nearly isogenic lines （NIL） and QTL-isogenic lines. The early heading of USSR5 was attributed to the presence of photoperiod-insensitive alleles at E1 and Se-1 gene, the photoperiod-sensitive inhibitor gene i-Se-1, and the dominant earliness gene Ef-1. Analysis of a backcrossed population （BCIF1） derived from the cross USSR5 x N22 indicated that two quantitative trait loci （QTL） for early heading were located on chromosomes 7 and 8, accounting for 27.4% and 11.2% of the phenotypic variance, respectively, with both early alleles originating from USSRS. From an F2 population of the same cross, early heading QTLs were detected on chromosomes 1, 2, 7, 9, and 10, with individual QTL accounting for between 4.1% and 15.4% of the phenotypic variance. Early heading alleles at four of these five QTLs originated from USSRS. A comparison of chromosomal locations suggests that one of these QTLs may be identical with the known gene Hd4 （E1）. The relationship between the other QTLs and known genes for heading date are not clear. USSR5 is a promising source for propagating earliness for the development of improved early heading rice varieties.
