Panicle transcriptome of high-yield mutant indica rice reveals physiological mechanisms and novel candidate regulatory genes for yield under reproductive stage drought stress.

Background: Reproductive stage drought stress (RDS) is a major global threat to rice production. Due to climate change, water scarcity is becoming an increasingly common phenomenon in major rice-growing areas worldwide. Understanding RDS mechanisms will allow candidate gene identification to generate novel rice genotypes tolerant to RDS.

Identification of genomic regions governing moisture and heat stress tolerance employing association mapping in rice (Oryza sativa L.).

Background: Rice crop is damaged extremely by abiotic stress world-wide. The best approach to enhance drought tolerance in rice varieties is to identify and introgress yield QTLs with major effects. The Association mapping approach helps in the identification of genomic regions governing physiological, yield and yield attributes under moisture and heat stress conditions in diverse collections of crop germplasm, based on historic recombination events and linkage disequilibrium across the genome.

Yield-associated putative gene regulatory networks in Oryza sativa L. subsp. indica and their association with high-yielding genotypes.

Background: With the increase in population and economies of developing countries in Asia and Africa, the research towards securing future food demands is an imminent need. Among japonica and indica genotypes, indica rice varieties are largely cultivated across the globe. However, our present understanding of yield-contributing gene information stems mainly from japonica and studies on the yield potential of indica genotypes are limited.