Evaluation of Salinity-Tolerant Backcrossed Inbre Lines (BILs) For Fertility Restoration Using Molecula Markers

Fertility restoration is a very important trait for the WA-CMS system in hybrid rice. Fifty-five BILs derived from KMR3 and FL478 cross combination possessing Saltol1 generated through Marker Assisted Backcross Breeding (MABB) approach were screened using Rf4 and Rf3 markers during Rabi 2021. The use of molecular markers tightly linked with fertility restoration aided in identifying promising groups of restorers, maintainers, partial restorers, and partial maintainers. The presence of both Rf4 and Rf3 alleles among the nineteen BILs was 35% which showed a clear difference in the marker distribution among the BILs. The BILs namely TCP32, TCP34, TCP35, TCP36, TCP36-3, TCP37-2, TCP38, TCP13, TCP18, TCP19, TCP45, TCP46, TCP48, TCP54, TCP56, TCP57-1, TCP60, TCP61, TCP61-3 were identified as promising restorers possessing both Rf4 and Rf3 genes. The current study reflects that Rf4 and Rf3 genes in combination help in the breeding of WA-CMS-based hybrids in Saltol introgressed restorers with better heterosis under various ecologies, especially coastal saline areas.