Development of bacterial blight resistance versions of basmati rice genotypes from Jammu, Northern Himalaya using marker-assisted selection

341-348Bacterial blight (BB) of rice caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) is a major constraint that negatively impacts rice production. Here, we explored developing potential BB resistance donors having basmati quality characteristics. The 20 BC1F1 cross combinations generated by randomly crossing four elite basmati cultivars with 10 bacterial blight resistant donor lines possessing resistant genes in different combinations were used for screening. Out of 20 BC1F1, one combination Basmati-370 x IRBB-55 was found to have basmati quality traits like intermediate amylose and high aroma content. Twenty two BC1F2 genotypes were selected from this cross combination for screening Xa21 and xa13 BB resistance genes as well as aromagene through marker-assisted selection (MAS). Five genotypes namely, Basmati-370 x IRBB-55-4, Basmati-370 x IRBB-55-5, Basmati-370 x IRBB-55-13, Basmati-370 x IRBB-55-17 and Basmati-370 x IRBB-55-18 carrying both Xa21 and xa13 along with fgr gene in homozygous conditions identified phenotypically to show complete resistance to BB along with intermediate amylose and high aroma. It is suggested that these genotypes can be effectively used as basmati donors