Current Applicable DNA Markers for Marker Assisted Breeding in Abiotic and Biotic Stress Tolerance in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Abiotic and biotic stresses adversely affect rice (Oryza sativa L.) growth and yield. Conventional breeding is a very effective method to develop tolerant rice variety; however, it takes a decade long to establish a new rice variety. DNA-based markers have a huge potential to improve the efficiency and precision of conventional plant breeding via marker-assisted selection (MAS). The large number of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) mapping studies for rice has provided an abundance of DNA marker-trait associations. The limitations of conventional breeding such as linkage drag and lengthy time consumption can be overcome by utilizing DNA markers in plant breeding. The major applications of DNA markers such as MAS, QTL mapping and gene pyramiding have been surveyed. In this review, we presented the latest markers available for some of the most important abiotic and biotic stresses in rice breeding programs. Achieving a significant impact on crop improvement by marker assisted breeding (MAB) represents the great challenge for agricultural scientists in the next few decades.