Heritability for some agronomic characters of rice (Oryza sativa L.) and their linked microsatellites identification

Th e objectives of this study were to estimate the narrow sense heritability of the examined characters and to fi nd their linked simple sequence repeats (SSRs) using bulked segregant analysis (BSA) in rice (Oryza sativa L). F 2:3 families of the cross between 'Mousa-Tarom' and '304' were used in an augmented design with 6 replications. Narrow sense heritability of panicle length and the culm number were low ( 0.84). Th e SSR primers RM16589 and RM17166 on chromosome 4 showed linkage with the gene(s) controlling culm length, plant height, leaf width, culm number, grain width, and grain shape. On chromosome 11, the SSR primer RM26063 showed linkage with plant height, panicle length, leaf width, grain length, grain width, and grain shape. Th e SSR primer RM26291 showed linkage with culm number, grain width, culm, panicle, and leaf and grain length, and the RM26509 to the grain shape. Chromosomes 1, 4, 5, and 11 had genes eff ective on the grain shape. Th e chromosomes 3, 5, and 11 carried the genes that controlled the leaf width. Th e linked SSR primers to the corresponding characters are helpful to select the traits in breeding programs and to fi nd more tightly linked markers with the controlling genes of the desirable traits.