Genome-Wide Association Analysis Reveals Genetic Components of Salt Stress Tolerance in North Korean Rice
摘要
Salinity stress severely limits global rice productivity, yet the genetic potential of North Korean (NK) rice germplasm remains largely unexplored. In this study, we evaluated the seedling-stage salt tolerance of 190 re-sequenced NK rice accessions grown hydroponically over three consecutive years (2019–2021) and conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) with high-density SNP data. A total of 53 significant lead SNPs were identified, including five located near well-known salt-tolerance genes—OsMAPK4 (ABA/ROS signaling), OsAPX2 (ROS scavenging), OsSOS1 (Na⁺ efflux), OsHAK19 (K⁺ transport), and OsPrx11 (peroxidase activity)—and 48 novel loci. Six novel lead SNPs were consistently detected across multiple years. Haplotype analysis revealed allelic combinations that enhanced salt tolerance through additive effects of ROS regulation and ion homeostasis pathways. These findings demonstrate that NK rice is a valuable and unique genetic resource, and the candidate loci identified here provide robust targets for marker-assisted breeding of salt-tolerant rice varieties.