MutMap accelerates breeding of a salt-tolerant rice cultivar.pdfVIP

C O R R E S P O N D E N C E MutMap accelerates breeding of a salt-tolerant rice cultivar To the Editor: a devastating tsunami, altogether claiming two chromosome substitution lines (CSSLs), Following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami the lives of more than 15,000 people. The SL502 and SL503, harboring chromosomal that affected Japan, 20,000 ha of rice paddy tsunami extended more than 5 km inland on segments of Nona Bokra in the genetic field was inundated with seawater, resulting the Sendai Plain of Miyagi Prefecture, one of background of Koshihikari, a cultivar closely in salt contamination of the land. As local the main rice-production regions in Japan5. related to Hitomebore10,11. We compared the rice landraces are not tolerant of high salt An environmental impact assessment study growth of hst1, SL502 and SL503 at 0.75% concentrations, we set out to develop a salt- conducted in the same area over a period NaCl (Supplementary Fig. 2). The 18 and . tolerant rice cultivar. We screened 6,000 of 2–7 months after the tsunami revealed 43% improved growth of hst1 as compared to d e ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) mutant lines wide spatial variation in the salinity level SL503 and SL502, respectively, showed that v r e of a local elite cultivar, ‘Hitomebore’, and of ponded water, with EC ranging from this was a good starting point for breeding a s e e –1 r identified a salt-t