Kumari, SaritaS, VIMANTH2023-01-172023-01-172022M/AB/479/2020-21https://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810192481Rice is an important source for food calories for world-wide population. World demand for both quantity and quality of rice. Zinc is an important mineral nutrient for human population. Fe and Zn is major cause of hidden hunger and malnourishment for the developing countries. Rice grain fortification using Zn will provide a cheap source for targeting problem around the world. Improvement of rice using breeding programme often compromised because of unavailability of suitable donor and marker. Present studies were conducted with objectives to study the diversity and population structure among wild rice accessions of Oryzanivara and Oryzarufipogon. The phenotypic variation was found 8.5% to 70% for different agronomically important trait and rice grain zinc content. Six accessions of wild rice were found for grain zinc content >45 PPM. Population structure analysis identified two subpopulations based on Structure, and PCoA and UPGMA clustering. The significant of two subpopulations were further estimated through AMOVA analysis. The diversity among population (14 %) was less than variation between populations (86%). The mean Fst value between population was 0.135. Marker trait analysis was studied through MLM (K+Q) model using total 93 different kind of SSR and SNP markers. A total of 16 genetic markers were discovered to be linked with grain zinc concentration.Annotation of linked loci identify the region coded for 589 different regulatory genes and 638 transporters. The identified loci may be used as an indicator of high zinc content after validations. Genes associated with the region may be use for transgenic program after studying their expression under concerned associated traits. Six accessions with high accumulator of zinc content may be used in breeding program for biparental mapping and marker assisted introgression.EnglishThesis