Screening of high-yielding Swarna lines developed through MABB for resistance against bacterial blight and blast diseases

Abstract

Rice cultivation has two significant challenges: BB and blast diseases. There are a number of Indian rice variety that are extremely sensitive to these diseases, one of which is the well-known Swarna mega-rice variety. The resistance genes Xa21 and Pi54, which provide protection against bacterial blight (BB) and blast diseases, were incorporated into a Near Isogenic Line (NIL) of Swarna that already had the yield-boosting gene OsSPL14 using marker-assisted backcross breeding. Ten best introgressed lines were selected at the ICF6 stage and subjected to phenotypic screening in a standardized blast nursery to evaluate resistance to blast disease and under controlled conditions for bacterial leaf blight. The lines exhibited outstanding performance and showed good tolerance to biotic stresses such as bacterial blight and blast.