Evaluation of eating quality in ear

Evaluation of eating quality in early breeding generations of rice is critical to developing varieties
with better palatability. This paper reports DNA markers associated with eating quality of temperate
japonica rice and an evaluation method aided by multiple regression analysis. A total of 30 markers
comprising STSs, SNPs, and SSRs were tested for their association with palatability using 22
temperate japonica varieties with different palatability values. Eating quality-related traits of the 22
varieties were also measured. Of the 30 markers, 18 were found to be significantly associated with
palatability and, consequently, a model regression equation with anR2
value of 0.99 was formulated
to estimate the palatability by the marker data set. Validation of the model equation using selected
breeding lines indicated that the marker set and the equation are highly applicable to evaluation of
the palatability of cooked rice in temperate japonica varieties.