Parent progeny regression analysis of herbicide-tolerant rice (Oryza sativa L.) developed through marker-assisted selection

Weed infestation poses a significant challenge to the adoption of direct-seeded rice (DSR), leading to substantial yield losses. This study involved introgression of imazethapyr herbicide tolerance into ADT 55 rice variety using the ethyl methane sulfonate-induced mutant Robin HTM as a donor. Phenotypic evaluation with imazethapyr herbicide spray demonstrated the transfer of herbicide tolerance locus into the ADT 55 background. Additionally, the research focuses on assessing the inheritance of key agronomic traits in F2 and F3 generations following initial crosses and marker-assisted selection. The findings revealed positive intergenerational correlations and significant regression coefficients for traits such as plant height and the number of productive tillers, indicating stable inheritance of these traits. Moderate to low heritability values suggest the possible influence of non-additive gene action or environmental variance, reducing the effectiveness of early-generation selection for certain traits. The development of herbicide-tolerant rice varieties offers a promising strategy for effective weed management in DSR, reducing reliance on manual weeding and minimizing yield losses. This approach contributes to more sustainable and efficient rice production systems.