Rice (Oryza sativa L.) with increased resistance to bacterial leaf blight can play a vital role in maintaining stable rice production with reduced economic losses and improved food security. This study aimed to evaluate the Mentik Susu rice mutant T1 generation resulting from gene editing, focusing on molecular and phenotypic characteristics. The selected T0 mutant seeds entailed planting and observation for molecular and phenotypic analyses. Molecular analysis through PCR helped detect the hygromycin phosphotransferase (hptII) and Cas9 genes and further sequenced target genes to identify the mutation. The phenotypic analysis comprised observations on plant height, panicle length, total tiller number, and flowering age. In the T1 generation, no detection of hptII and Cas9 genes occurred, indicating that rice strains had undergone mutation without carrying the transgene. Sequencing analysis identified mutations in several mutant rice strains in the OsSWEET11 promoter. Nine mutant rice strains experienced mutations, eight strains mutated by substitution, and one mutant strain mutated by substitution and insertion. On phenotypes, the T1 mutant rice strains showed more tillers and longer panicle length than the wild-type rice strains. In continuing the said research, further analysis based on phenotypic variations, mutation stability, and tests on bacterial leaf blight resistance is essential.
Rice (O. sativa L.), genome editing, mutation, SWEET11, molecular and phenotypic characteristics, bacterial leaf blight resistance, morphological and yield traits
Using the CRISPR/Cas9 method in rice (O. sativa L.), mutant rice strains appeared in the SWEET11 promoter region, undergoing studies for molecular and phenotypic characteristics.