Genomic analysis of hybrid rice varieties reveals numerous superior alleles that contribute to heterosis

Abstract

Exploitation of heterosis is one of the most important applications of genetics in agriculture. However, the genetic mechanisms of heterosis are only partly understood, and a global view of heterosis from a representative number of hybrid combinations is lacking. Here we develop an integrated genomic approach to construct a genome map for 1,495 elite hybrid rice varieties and their inbred parental lines. We investigate 38 agronomic traits and identify 130 associated loci. In-depth analyses of the effects of heterozygous genotypes reveal that there are only a few loci with strong overdominance effects in hybrids, but a strong correlation is observed between the yield and the number of superior alleles. While most parental inbred lines have only a small number of superior alleles, high-yielding hybrid varieties have several. We conclude that the accumulation of numerous rare superior alleles with positive dominance is an important contributor to the heterotic phenomena.

Abstract

The principle of heterosis, whereby a hybrid variety outperforms both parents, is commonly exploited in agriculture to maximize crop yield. Here Huang et al. show that the accumulation of multiple superior alleles in hybrid varieties contributes to hybrid vigour and increased yield in rice.