Development and characterization of chromosome segment substitution lines derived from backcross between japonica donor rice cultivar Yukihikari and japonica recipient cultivar Kirara397

Grain yield-related traits and grain quality-related traits are important for rice cultivars. The quantitative trait loci (QTLs) involved in controlling the natural variation in these traits among closely related cultivars are still unclear. The present study describes the development of a novel chromosome segment substitution line (CSSL) population derived from a cross between the temperate japonica cultivars Yukihikari and Kirara397, which are grown in Hokkaido, the northernmost limit for rice cultivation. Days to heading, culm length, panicle length, panicle number, brown grain weight per plant, thousand brown grain weight, brown grain length, brown grain width, brown grain thickness, apparent amylose content, and protein content were evaluated. Panicle length, brown grain length and amylose content differed significantly in the parental cultivars. Thirty-five significant changes in the evaluated traits were identified in the CSSLs. A total of 28 QTLs were located on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. These findings could be useful for breeding rice cultivars in the northernmost limit for rice cultivation.