Rhizoctonia solani K & uuml;hn causes sheath blight disease in rice and reduces yield significantly. Maudamani is a very high yielding variety in Odisha but susceptible to the disease. The variety was improved for durable resistance against the disease by four resistance QTLs pyramiding namely, qSBR11-1, qSBR11-2, qSBR11-3 and qSBR7-1 into the variety through marker-assisted backcross breeding (MABB) approach. A Vietnamese indica landrace, 'Tetep' was selected as the male donor parent carried four target resistance QTLs. Foreground selection was carried out in each backcross generations by deploying five linked SSR markers for selecting the progenies carrying all target QTLs. Concurrently, 121 selected polymorphic markers and 1k RiCA SNP markers spread across the 12 chromosomes of rice were deployed in the background selection. In each backcross generation, progenies positive for all target QTLs along with highest recurrent parent genome content were selected for the next backcrossing. Foreground selection in BC2F2 generation detected six plants (CR6605-98-127-5, CR6605-98-127-190, CR6605-98-127-355, CR6605-98-127-489, CR6605-98-127-711 and CR6605-98-127-825) carrying four target QTLs in homozygous condition along with background recovery of > 92%. The bioassay results confirmed that these six pyramided lines exhibit higher level of resistance against the pathogen compared to the recipient parent. Also, the pyramided lines showed higher yield and were similar in appearance with the recipient parent, Maudamani.

Developing climate-resilient, lodging-resistant rice requires integrating strong culm and root related genetics, high-throughput and trait-based phenotyping, and optimized agronomic practices. Coordinated use of molecular breeding, gene editing, and management strategies offers sustainable solutions to mitigate lodging under variable environments. Lodging is a major abiotic stress that significantly reduces grain yield and quality in rice, while also increasing vulnerability to pests. Human-induced intensification, including high planting densities, excessive nitrogen application, off-season sowing, and cultivation in upland areas, further increases rice susceptibility to lodging, posing a major management challenge. Sole reliance on the sd1 gene has proven insufficient for ensuring effective lodging resistance. This review examines the diverse factors influencing lodging susceptibility and resistance in rice, including morphological, physiological, biochemical, genetic, agronomic, and environmental aspects, and integrates current advances to guide future research and breeding strategies for lodging-resistant rice. Among these factors, the stem has emerged as a key tissue influencing lodging resistance. Advances in molecular breeding have identified several QTLs and genes, such as SCM1, SCM2, SCM3, SCM4, APO1, and prl4, that are associated with lodging resistance, enabling the use of marker-assisted selection in breeding programs. The review also discusses integrated strategies that combine advanced phenotyping tools, optimized agronomic practices, mathematical modelling, and genetic approaches including molecular breeding and gene editing to effectively develop lodging-resistant rice varieties.

Pooja and Naveen are popular semidwarf rice varieties of eastern and northeastern India. Bacterial blight disease caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) and lodging lead to yield loss in both genotypes. Considering unique racial composition of Xoo in target regions, five resistance genes (Xa4, xa5, Xa7, xa13 and Xa21) were pyramided in Naveen using IRBB66 as donor. The near isogenic lines (NILs) showed resistant reaction across growing seasons and against multiple Xoo strains. Although plant height of the NILs were similar to Naveen, several tall and semi-tall recombinants appeared from F2 generation onwards. Molecular profiling confirmed presence of SD1 allele in Naveen, its NILs and the taller recombinant inbred lines (RILs). Xa4 gene improved lodging resistance in both semidwarf NILs and the taller RILs. One non-lodging semi-tall RIL with Xa4 + xa5 + Xa7 + xa13 + Xa21 + SD1 allelic combination with substantially higher yield than both parents and significantly higher yield than check genotypes was released as a new variety CR Dhan 326 after blind multilocation trials. The Xa4 gene also reduced lodging of SD1SD1 RILs developed by crossing CR Dhan 326 with RP-Bio-226 (xa5 + xa13 + Xa21 + sd1). NILs with Xa4 + xa5 + Xa7 + xa13 + Xa21 genes were also developed in Pooja. However, backcrossing led to irreversible loss of semi-dwarfism and presence of SD1 allele was confirmed in Pooja and its NILs. Semidwarf NILs could be developed only after introgression of sd1 allele. The Xa4 gene reduced plant height of both semidwarf and tall NILs. The non-lodging SD1 + Xa4 NILs of Pooja may suit in semi-deep-water ecology, whereas sd1 + Xa4 NILs are suitable for shallow lowlands.

High-density rice planting reduces light quality within the canopy, especially the red to far-red (R: FR) ratio, triggering a physiological shift that enhances elongation growth at the expense of weakened defence mechanisms. This is not a passive consequence but a coordinated regulation controlled by the Phytochrome B (PhyB)-Phytochrome Interacting Factor (PIF) signalling module. Under low R: FR, PhyB becomes inactive, stabilising key PIFs such as OsPIL13 and OsPIF4. These transcription factors promote shade-avoidance growth by enhancing auxin and gibberellin biosynthesis, which in turn suppresses salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) signalling. They also directly repress the expression of core defence genes. Together, these changes lower immune readiness in shaded rice plants. Here, we propose a rice-specific model in which low R: FR light signals directly suppress immunity through PIF-mediated transcriptional repression, highlighting a monocot-specific mechanism that integrates light perception with immune downregulation.

Brown planthopper (BPH) is a major pest of rice. Growing direct seeded rice (DSR) without constant standing water or intermittent draining reduces its population buildup. However, volunteer, wild and weedy rice create a major hurdle in adoption of DSR as conventional herbicides or manual weeding fail to control them. These invasive weeds from the same genus may attract BPH on the standing crops of resistant rice varieties besides supporting pest overwintering. Forty-eight accessions of 22 Oryza species along with trait-specific checks were screened for BPH-resistance and imazethapyr-tolerance. Only IRGC 88828 (O. schweinfurthiana) was BPH-resistant, and none were tolerant to imazethapyr indicating the scope of harnessing the complementary benefits through introgression of both the traits in a single genotype. Two epistatic BPH-resistance QTLs from a landrace Salkathi and novel Aceto Hydroxy Acid Synthase (AHAS) gene mutation conferring imazethapyr tolerance were separately introgressed in a popular rice variety Naveen. After blind multilocation trials, BPH resistant near isogenic lines (NILs) with qBph4.3 + qBph4.4 were notified for general cultivation in India. Introgression of AHAS gene through tightly linked marker RM6844 enabled efficient control of the weed complexes of rice through imazethapyr application. However, in comparison to Naveen, significant reduction of grain yield (5.28–15.84

Bakanae disease, caused by the seed-borne fungus Fusarium fujikuroi, is an emerging threat to rice production. This study characterized bakanae disease resistance, grain biochemical and physical traits and genetic diversity in 135 rice genotypes (87 released varieties and 48 advanced breeding lines). Artificial inoculation under nethouse conditions revealed a wide variation in the percent disease index (PDI), ranging from 2.58% to 100.00% (mean = 48.25 +/- 0.03%). Out of the 135 genotypes evaluated, 68 showed moderate to high levels of resistance, including 16 highly resistant genotypes with PDI less than 5%. The most resistant genotypes were TRB 419 (2.58%), TRB 429 (4.17%), TRB 403, TRB 411, and TRB 425 (4.35% each). Grain traits varied substantially; test weight was negatively correlated with PDI (r = -0.18, P = 0.034), whereas total grain phosphorus and phytic acid were positively correlated with disease severity. Analysis with 136 candidate gene-based SSR (cgSSR) markers revealed moderate polymorphism (PIC = 0.03-0.38, mean 0.28). UPGMA clustering grouped genotypes into four distinct clusters that differed significantly in terms of mean PDI. The cluster predominantly comprising advanced breeding lines exhibited the lowest disease severity (21.8% vs. 51.0-64.4% in other clusters). These findings provide a useful basis for identifying genetically diverse and bakanae-resistant genotypes and for strategic parent selection in rice-breeding programs.

Sheath blight (ShB) caused by the necrotrophic fungus Rhizoctonia solani, is a major disease of rice, with no completely resistant genotype identified to date. In the present study, a major QTL, qShB-1.1, covering 0.77 megabase (Mb) interval at the telomeric end of the long arm in chromosome 1, was consistently identified from a biparental mapping population of 384 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from moderately resistant genotype CR 1014 and susceptible genotype Swarna-Sub1. Validation in contrasting RILs and backcross-derived inbred lines (BILs) through field-based phenotyping, glass house screenings, and bioassay confirmed a strong association between the flanking markers and ShB response. Colocalization of qShB-1.1 identified the corresponding chromosomal location as a genomic hotspot for ShB resistance QTLs. Within qShB-1.1, 122 genes were annotated, out of which 17 were shortlisted based on their tissue-specific expressions reported in databases and literature. Six of these genes were directly identified from the differential proteomics dataset of the parents generated at different time intervals after inoculation. Three other genes, LOC_Os01g65800, LOC_Os01g65650, and LOC_Os01g65450, exhibited significantly higher expression as determined by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) in all resistant genotypes. Cis-regulatory elements, including methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and other stress-responsive motifs, were identified in these genes, suggesting their putative role in ShB defense responses. Additionally, 98 co-expressed genes, for these three genes, were predicted and further verified in the differential proteomic dataset. The stable QTL qShB-1.1 thus represents a valuable genomic resource that could be deployed in marker-assisted breeding and gene pyramiding to mitigate one of the most critical diseases of rice. This article aligns with SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) of the UN Agenda for Sustainable Development.

IntroductionRice false smut (RFS), caused by Ustilaginoidea virens (teleomorph: Villosiclava virens), has emerged as a major global threat to rice production, causing reductions in yield, grain quality, and market value. Although first reported in India in the 1870s, genomic resources for this pathogen remain limited, constraining efforts toward understanding pathogen diversity and developing effective disease management strategies.MethodsIn the present study, a high-quality whole-genome sequence of the Eastern Indian U. virens isolate NRRI-FSM-1 was generated and analyzed. Comparative whole-genome sequence (WGS) analysis was further performed using six U. virens strains to investigate genomic diversity, structural variation, and candidate pathogenicity-related features.ResultsThe assembled NRRI-FSM-1 genome was 36.3 Mb in size, comprising 985 scaffolds with an N50 of 5,781,932 bp. A total of 328,782 variants were identified, including 302,430 SNPs, 13,224 insertions, and 13,128 deletions. Additionally, 5,977 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and 9,257 protein-coding genes were identified, representing the highest number of predicted genes reported so far among false smut genomes. Comparative genomics revealed substantial genomic diversity among the six strains, including variation in candidate effector repertoires, gene content, and population structure at both global and intra-Indian levels. Notably, significant diversity was observed among Indian strains, indicating considerable genomic variation across geographical regions.DiscussionThese findings expand the pathogenomic resource base for U. virens in India and globally, and provide insights into genome evolution and genetic plasticity in this important rice pathogen. The generated genomic resource establishes a foundation for future studies on pathogen surveillance, virulence mechanisms, and molecular breeding strategies for rice false smut management.

Grain phytic acid is a key anti-nutrient in rice that limits mineral bio-availability and exhibits considerable natural variation in aromatic germplasm. In this study, we evaluated phytic acid content in 138 aromatic rice accessions of indigenous and exotic origin and characterized the genetic diversity and population structure using 14 candidate gene–based simple sequence repeat (cgSSR) markers. The experiment was conducted at ICAR-Central Rice Reserch Institute, Cuttack, India during wet season of 2022 and 2023. The natural grain phytic acid content ranged from 0.54 to 2.13

Low-light (LL) stress caused by persistent cloud cover during the Kharif season significantly reduces rice (Oryza sativa L.) grain yield (GY) by limiting photosynthesis, impairing assimilate production, and affecting reproductive development. To dissect the genetic basis of LL tolerance, 192 diverse rice genotypes were evaluated across contrasting light environments (LL and normal light under Rabi and Kharif seasons) and genotyped using a high-density 44K single nucleotide polymorphism array. Integrating phenotypic and genomic data enabled a multi-tiered analysis from quantitative trait locus (QTL) discovery to gene identification and haplotype dissection. Genome-wide association analysis identified 305 QTLs associated with GY and 11 related traits, including 148 LL-specific and 32 stable QTLs expressed across both seasons. Forty-two candidate genes were localized within major QTL intervals, and 12 were identified as hub genes based on their key roles in photosynthesis, light perception, hormone signaling, and starch biosynthesis. These included Gn1a, OsPsbS1, OsAGPL2, OsLhcb1, OsAUX1, OsSBDCP1, OsNPF5.16, OsPHYA, OsPHYB, OsGIF1, HY5, and OsYUC11. Expression profiling confirmed stronger induction of OsPHYA (∼2.5-fold) and OsPsbS1 (∼2.8-fold) in LL-tolerant genotypes like Purnendu and Swarnaprabha compared to susceptible lines. Haplotype analysis revealed several superior alleles, such as PHYA-Hap2 and OsPsbS1-Hap3, that were consistently associated with higher spikelet fertility, greater grain number, increased biomass, and improved GY under LL, with top-performing haplotypes enhancing yield by 12%-18%. Genotypes carrying these haplotypes (e.g., Purnendu, Swarnaprabha, and Chamarmani) represent valuable breeding donors. Overall, this study provides the first genome-wide identification of LL-specific haplotypes in rice, together with biologically validated hub genes. These findings offer actionable genomic targets and donor resources for developing LL-resilient, high-yielding cultivars suited to changing climate and light-limited environments.

This review provides a comprehensive mechanistic framework for rice adaptation to low-light stress, integrating morpho-physiological adjustments and biochemical plasticity with the phytochrome-PIF signalling network to guide molecular breeding of light-resilient cultivars. Low-light stress (LLS), defined as photosynthetically active radiation below 600 μmol m−2 s−1, is an increasingly important constraint on rice productivity in monsoon-dominated agroecosystems, where persistent cloud cover, dense planting, and atmospheric pollution markedly reduce light availability. Under natural field conditions, pollution-derived seasonal LLS causes yield losses of 10–20

The genetic basis of mesocotyl length and its associated loci is critical for improving seedling emergence and establishment in direct-seeded rice systems. This study investigated the phenotypic variation and genetic architecture of mesocotyl length in a diverse panel of 192 rice genotypes using a genome-wide association study (GWAS) approach. The panel, comprising germplasm accessions, advanced breeding lines, and released varieties, was genotyped using a 44 K SNP array, resulting in 19,613 high-quality polymorphic SNPs after stringent filtering. Phenotypic evaluation revealed continuous variation in mesocotyl length, ranging from 2.48 to 18.98 mm, with high broad-sense heritability (71.2

Low light is a major abiotic stress during the wet season, leading to an approximate 35% reduction in rice yield compared to the dry season. Developing rice varieties with improved yields and tolerance to low light conditions is therefore critical. This study aimed to identify low-light-tolerant rice genotypes using a Combined Stress Tolerance and Stability Index (CSTSI). A panel of 192 genotypes was evaluated for 12 agro-morphological traits during the Kharif (wet) seasons of 2021 and 2022. Results showed that low light significantly reduced key traits such as tiller number, grain number, spikelet number, spikelet fertility, panicle number, grain weight, biomass, and grain yield. Two-wayANOVA indicated significant genotypic variation under low light stress, with grain yield and biomass reductions of 41.96 and 28.49%, respectively. Yield Stability Index (YSI) and Relative Yield (RY) were calculated to assess genotype performance. The CSTSI was developed to evaluate overall stress tolerance among the 192 genotypes. Regression analysis revealed strong correlations of CSTSI with RY (0.897) and YSI (0.791), confirming its effectiveness in identifying low-light-tolerant genotypes. Based on the CSTSI, nine genotypes were identified as highly tolerant, outperforming the tolerant check variety, Swarnaprabha. Cluster analysis grouped the 192 genotypes into five clusters. Clusters IV and V included tolerant genotypes such as Purnandu, Ambika, Laxmichura, Chamarmani, Bhasamanik, TRB-468, VL Dhan209, Swarnaprabha, and TRB-451, which exhibited superior performance in YSI, RY, and CSTSI. In contrast, cluster I contained low-performing genotypes like Kunti, Sanwal Basumati, IR8, IR64, Pusa-834, Srabani, Sahabhagi Dhan and Khandagiri. Identifying low-light-tolerant genotypes provides valuable insights for identifying QTLs, genes, and superior haplotypes associated with low-light tolerance. These findings are critical for molecular breeding programs aiming to develop resilient rice varieties for low-light environments. Additionally, the study establishes CSTSI as a reliable parameter for screening genotypes for low-light tolerance.

Low light intensity is a major abiotic stress that severely affects rice yields, particularly in India and Southeast Asia, causing yield reductions of 35–40% during the wet season compared to the dry season. Tolerant rice genotypes exhibit adaptive changes at anatomical, physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels under low-light stress, enabling higher yields compared to susceptible varieties. Our study identified 20 novel QTLs associated with grain yields and nine related traits under low-light and control (normal)-light conditions, using a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from the cross between the low-light-tolerant variety Swarnaprabha and the low-light-susceptible variety IR8. Across the Kharif seasons of 2019 and 2021, 33 stable QTLs were identified, with 11, 13, and 9 QTLs specific to low-light, normal-light, and both conditions, respectively. Of these, Swarnaprabha contributed 28 QTLs, while five were contributed by IR8. Notably, the study identified 11 and 9 novel QTLs under low-light and both conditions, respectively. Three hotspot regions on chromosomes 1, 4, and 8 were identified. These regions harbored 10 novel QTLs and revealed twenty candidate genes, out of which three key hub genes, OsAUX1, OsSBDCP1, and OsNPF5.16, were identified. These hub genes are involved in hormone signaling, starch metabolism, and nitrogen metabolism, respectively. A comprehensive expression analysis of these genes indicated that they are linked to low-light tolerance, offering deeper insights into the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying low-light resilience. These findings provide valuable genomic resources and potential markers for breeding programs for improving rice productivity under low-light conditions.

Brown planthopper (BPH) is a major pest of rice. Herbicide based direct-seeded rice (DSR) cultivation without constant stagnant water can reduce its population buildup. However, conventional herbicides or manual weeding can’t control the wild and weedy rice. Extensive invasion of these obnoxious weeds can attract BPH on standing crops of resistant varieties and support off-season overwintering. We screened 51 accessions of 22 Oryza species including weedy rice for BPH-resistance and imazethapyr-tolerance. Only IRGC 88828 (O. schweinfurthiana) was BPH-resistant, and none were tolerant to imazethapyr which indicated the scope of harnessing the complementary benefits from the two traits. Two epistatic BPH-resistance QTLs from the landrace Salkathi and a novel AHAS gene mutation conferring imazethapyr tolerance from HTM-N22 were introgressed separately in a popular rice variety Naveen. NILs with qBph4.3+qBph4.4 showed both antixenosis and antibiosis against BPH and were notified as first BPH resistant essentially derived varieties in India. AHAS gene introgression using linked marker RM6844 located at approximately 0.9 cM distance enabled efficient management of volunteer, wild and weedy rice besides other non-Oryza weed species through imazethapyr application. However, significant reduction of grain yield and head rice recovery was also recorded in all the introgressed lines. While combining both the traits, linkage drag at AHAS locus was circumvented using a novel selection approach against HTM-N22 allele of RM6844. Rotational cultivation of BPH-resistant NILs through transplanting and dual-improved NILs through direct seeding will enable integrated pest and weed management and minimize cultivation cost, grain admixture, insecticide use and environmental footprint in rice.

Rice suffers from drought stress due to its shallow roots, hindering water uptake from deeper soil layers. Transfer of deeper rooting QTL will modify the root architecture of the plant allowing it to extract moisture from deeper layers of the soil. Furthermore, poor soil conditions, particularly phosphorus deficiency is a common problem in the rainfed rice ecology of India which requires adequate phosphate fertilizer for obtaining higher yield. In this current investigation, two QTL (DRO1 and DRO3) for deeper rooting and one QTL for phosphorus uptake (Pup1) were introgressed into a popular variety, 'Maudamani' through marker-assisted backcross breeding. The target QTL were transferred from a pre-breed genotype, CR3996-19-9-45-1 into the popular variety. Foreground selection was performed using the tightly linked microsatellite markers in the backcross generations progenies to select plants carrying the target QTL. Background selection in each backcross generations was performed using 123 polymorphic SSR markers spread across twelve chromosomes. In each backcross generations, plants carrying all three target QTL and with highest recurrent parent genome recovery percentage was used to backcross with the popular variety, Maudamani. In BC2F2 generation, five plants (CR6508-111-101-129, CR6508-111-101-267, CR6508-111-101-413, CR6508-111-101-537 and CR6508-111-101-713) were selected which were homozygous for all three target QTL. The pyramided lines were evaluated for deeper rooting, low phosphorus stress tolerance and various agro-morphologic including quality traits. Progenies of those five pyramided plants showed similarity with the recipient parent for the 14 agro-morphologic and quality traits in their BC2F3 and BC2F4 generations. The introgressed lines demonstrated significantly improved root traits, including increased number of deeper roots, longer root length and higher shoot and root dry weight, compared to Maudamani under both moisture-deficit and normal conditions. Furthermore, those lines exhibited enhanced phosphorus uptake and grain yield compared to the recipient parent, Maudamani under low phosphorus conditions.

Low-light (LL) stress imposes a major constraint on rice yield in densely planted and monsoonal environments, yet the mechanistic basis of shade tolerance remains insufficiently resolved. We investigated four rice genotypes under simulated LL conditions, including two LL-tolerant varieties (Purnendu and Swarnaprabha) and two LL-susceptible varieties (IR64 and IR8). Responses were systematically analysed from the flag leaf to the fourth leaf. Comprehensive evaluation included measurements of light interception, chlorophyll fluorescence, gas exchange, carbohydrate content, chloroplast ultrastructure, and the expression of fourteen photosynthesis-related genes. Our findings demonstrate that LL tolerance in rice cannot be explained by adaptation of a single leaf; rather, it results from a coordinated strategy involving integrated changes at morphological, physiological, biochemical, and gene expression levels throughout the entire canopy. Tolerant genotypes exhibited only 30-35% loss in photons from the flag leaf to the fourth leaf, whereas susceptible genotypes lost up to 75%. Architectural traits such as plant height, leaf area plasticity, and leaf angle accounted for 84% of the variation in radiation use efficiency, while tolerant genotypes sustained higher photosynthetic efficiency, carbohydrate reserves, and robust gene expression across all layers. These insights identify concrete trait targets for breeding LL-resilient rice varieties, supporting stable yield in dense and light-limited environments.

Grain amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.) has gained increasing attention as a potential nutrient-rich crop with numerous health benefits. The present study was carried out, during the summer (kharif) season of 2019 and 2020 at College of Agriculture, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha to evaluate morpho-quantitative and biochemical parameters of grain amaranth. Four varieties of grain amaranth in five different replications were taken. Morpho-quantitative assessment indicated that, Suvarna (11.23 q/ha) yielded the most, GA 2 flowers opened 50% after 45.68 days, whereas BGA 2 took 51.52 days. The RMA 7 variety matured in 102.5 days, while the Suvarna variety matured in 104.2 days. RMA 7 had the longest panicle (38.9 cm), whereas Suvarna had the smallest (35.68 cm). Suvarna had the most plants (74.3), followed by BGA 2 (73.5). Biochemical analysis revealed that, BGA 2 contained more chlorophyll (1.537 mg/g), and RMA 7 had more total carbohydrate (319 mg/g). Moreover, BGA 2, GA 2, Suvarna and RMA 7 exhibited comparable phenol content. Moreover, Fe (66 mg/100 g), Mg (284.5 mg/100 g), Mn (5.71 mg/100 g), Zn (11.3 mg/100 g), Ca (178.7 mg/100 g), and K (400.50 mg/100 g) were detected by ICP-OES analysis. FTIR and HPTLC analysis indicated more number of functional group present in the varieties. Thus, the present study unveiled that seeds of grain amaranthus varieties are rich source of different essential elements, and other essential biochemical parameters, with higher antioxidant activity. Hence this pseudocereal can be used to provide good food supplements to the infants as well as adults.

Bakanae disease in non-basmati indica rice is emerging as a major threat owing to climate change. Our objective was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL)/gene(s) in Thavalakannan, responsible for bakanae disease resistance. A bi-parental population was developed between a resistant variety, Thavalakannan, and a susceptible variety, Pooja, to identify QTL for bakanae disease resistance. The population was challenged with a highly virulent Gerua F3 strain of the Fusarium fujikuroi pathogen in three different experiments. The percent disease incidence calculated over three experiments and the genotypic information of the population were used to identify the QTL. A main effect QTL was identified on chromosome 5 with 8.97