Date Received: 20-02-2025 / Date Accepted: 11-07-2025 / Date Published: 31-07-2025
This study aimed to identify the genes responsible for rice grain pericarp color (Kala1, Kala3, Kala4, and Rc) and evaluate agronomic characteristics to support the development of colored rice varieties with short growth duration, high yield, and good quality. The experiment to evaluate the agrobiological characteristics, yield of the colored rice materials was arranged according to the group survey method, sequentially without repetition, the method of evaluating the indicators according to the IRRI (2013). Determination of the presence of four genes Kala1, Kala3, Kala4 and Rc was performed by PCR reaction with four SSR markers according to the method of Gu et al. (2011) and McCouch et al. (2002). The growth duration of the studied rice varieties ranged from 109-120 days (2023 Summer season) and 112-125 days (2024 Spring season). Varieties grown during 2023 Autumn season exhibited superior growth and yield compared to those in the 2024 Spring season. Additionally, the study identified the presence of the Kala1, Kala3, Kala4, and Rc genes in pericarp color. Rice samples with dark black pericarps carried all four genes, while samples with dark brown pericarps lacked one or two genes. In contrast, white rice samples (BT7 control) carried only the Rc gene and lacked Kala1, Kala3 and Kala4. Notably, promising varieties such as LM11, LM15, LM7 and LM5 demonstrated superior agronomic traits, high yields, and the presence of all four genes associated with pericarp pigmentation. The findings of this study pave the way for further research into the genetic mechanisms governing rice pericarp color, supporting the breeding of colored rice varieties with high anthocyanin content.
