In temperate regions, rice production faces substantial threats from the devastating blast disease caused by the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae. For managing blast disease, deploying resistance genes remains the most cost-effective and environmentally sustainable control strategy. In the following study, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for rice panicle blast resistance proceeded in germplasm comprising 191 temperate Japonica rice accessions. Results revealed the 141 significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were notably related to rice panicle blast resistance. Four intervals were considerably confident loci related to panicle blast resistance, including qPBR04, qPBR05-1, qPBR05-2, and qPBR07. The qPBR07 region on chromosome 7 was a promising QTL, having several novel genes with a crucial role in pathogen defense. Key genes, including Os07g0511500, Os07g0515100, Os07g0516300, Os07g0518100, Os07g0513600, Os07g0515200, and Os07g0512100, were seemingly potential genes in response to the M. oryzae pathogen invasion. The study identified 25 temperate Japonica accessions exhibiting a high level of panicle blast resistance, positioning them as potential sources of resistance suited to temperate climates. The insights gained from the presented study provide a valuable foundation for panicle blast resistance breeding and the comprehensive characterization of identified resistance genes.

Keywords: Rice (O. sativa L.), blast disease, panicle blast resistance, quantitative trait locus, genome-wide association study

Key findings: Twenty-five rice genotypes resistant to panicle blast showed distinction from a set of 191 temperate Japonica rice accessions. Four quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with rice panicle blast resistance also emerged, with qPBR07 on chromosome 7 showing a high potential for gene mining and breeding application.