Roslen Anacleto, Rosa Paula Cuevas, Rosario Jimenez, Cindy Llorente, Eero Nissila, Robert Henry, Nese Sreenivasulu

Theoretical and Applied Genetics August 2015, Volume 128, Issue 8, pp 1449-1466

Abstract

Key message

The holistic understanding derived from integrating grain quality and sensory research outcomes in breeding high-quality rice in the light of post-genomics resources has been synthesized.

Abstract

Acceptance of new rice genotypes by producers and consumers hinges not only on their potential for higher yield but recent emphasis has also been on premium-value genotypes that have the ability to satisfy consumer preferences for grain quality. This review article provides insights into how to link grain quality attributes and sensory perception to support breeding superior rice varieties. Recent advances in quality profiling and omics technologies have provided efficient approaches to identify the key genes and biochemical markers involved in rice quality traits. Emphasis has been given to the upcoming area of holistic understanding of grain quality and attributes derived from sensory evaluation to leverage integrative gene discovery strategies that enable breeding programs to efficiently tap the huge genetic diversity in rice for novel genes that enhance rice food quality.

See http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00122-015-2537-6

Fig. 1  Histograms of data taken from each of eight grain quality traits. The histogram of head rice yield shows the current average to be approximately 45 % and chalkiness to be mostly controlled within 0–15 %. The grain dimension and amylose content histograms reveal which target market drives most breeding programs at IRRI in terms of grain quality. The gelatinization temperature (GT) by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) histogram reveals a bimodal distribu-tion that roughly corresponds to low-GT and high-GT values. The gel consistency histogram reveals that a majority of consumers pre-fer rice that does not harden quickly upon cooling. (The insetshows images of paddy grains of selected accessions to illustrate diversity in grain morphology).