Study on the effect of Rf3 gene for fertility restoration to rice in genetic background of Neda-A line

In hybrid seed production program based on three-line system, the use of fertility restorer line with desirable specific combining ability carrying fertility restoration (Rf) genes is indispensible. In this research, fertility restoration locus Rf3 was transferred into CMS line ‘Neda-A’ using marker-assisted backcrossing (MAB) method and simultaneously its effect on pollen and panicle fertility of recipient line was evaluated in each generation. For transferring the locus, a single F2 plant (derived from ‘Neda-A’ x ‘IR36’ cross) was selected based on Rf3- linked three markers (RM1, RM3233 and RM3873) and backcrossed to ‘Neda-A’ (as the recurrent parent). The BC1 progenies were screened for Rf3-linked markers and also phenotyped and subsequently screened for 15 background SSR markers. Only two BC1 plants with donor dominant allele at all three loci showed high panicle fertility (65% and 50%). BC2 progenies were developed after backcrossing these two plants to recurrent parent. Among BC2 progenies, a single plant having a higher fertility was self-pollinated and 170 resultant BC2 2 plants were screened with 3 foreground Rf3-linked markers (RM1, RM3233 and RM3873) and also evaluated in terms of seed setting. Seven plants were identified with a higher rate of recurrent parent genome (91.1% to 98.5%) and in complete homozygote state at three Rf3- linked markers. These plants had a high pollen and panicle fertility (75% to 97%), indicating that with increasing homozygosity of Rf3 locus, fertility restoration to WA cytoplasmic male sterility in the genetic background of CMS recipient line was further enhanced. Therefore, it can be concluded that Rf3 locus has an interaction to WA cytoplasmic male sterility in favor of increasing the rice pollen and panicle fertility, and hence it can be utilized along with other restoring fertility genes in hybrid seed production program of rice.