Genome‐Wide Association Study Revealed the Genetics of Seed Vigour Traits in Rice (<scp><i>Oryza sativa</i></scp> L.)

ABSTRACT A crucial phenotypic attribute for breeding rice for direct seeded condition is rapid uniform germination and build‐up of biomass during the initial period of seedling establishment. Seed vigour constitutes such traits that have gained potential to meet the requirements of breeding for direct seeded rice. In the present study, a set of 295 markers, including 215 candidate gene‐derived markers covering all chromosome, was used to discover the casual alleles for eight rice seed vigour‐related traits. Using a mixed linear model, the study identified 99 significant associations for seed vigour traits. Many associated markers originated from diverse candidate genes in rice. Notably, alleles from genes like RSR1 , OsSRS3 and OsSWEET15 exhibited pleiotropic effects, influencing multiple seed vigour traits. This discovery underscores the potential of certain genes to impact various facets of seed vigour simultaneously. The new candidate gene markers associated with seed vigour traits may be utilized to incorporate variable alleles for seed vigour traits through marker‐assisted breeding programmes. Markers identified to be closely associated with more than one trait have significant application in the simultaneous improvement of multiple traits.