Generation of Novel High-Quality Small-Grained Rice Germplasm by Targeting the OsVIN2 Gene

Small-grained rice varieties are highly valued in hybrid seed production and food markets because of their unique advantages in mechanized seed production and cooking qualities. Developing new varieties combining small grain size with high nutritional and cooking quality represents an important breeding objective. The <i>OsVIN2</i> gene has been identified as a key regulator involved in carbohydrate metabolism and grain development in rice. In this study, a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene-editing approach was employed to precisely modify the <i>OsVIN2</i> gene in the restorer line MH86 of high-quality rice varieties. Compared with the wild-type plants, the frameshift mutant seeds showed a significant reduction in length and width by 19.9% and 15.2%, respectively, leading to a 39.2% decrease in thousand-grain weight. Notably, the mutant exhibited improved quality traits, including a decrease of 16.6% in amylose content, an increase of 11.0% protein, and a 77.5% and 84.7% decrease in chalkiness rate and chalkiness degree, respectively. These results demonstrate that targeted editing of <i>OsVIN2</i> is a promising approach for creating novel small-grained rice germplasm with superior quality attributes.