Molecular screening of the DEP1 yield-related gene in Nigerian rice cultivars using cgSSR markers

Abstract

Rice is a major staple food for many people, and in West Africa, Nigeria stands out as both the largest producer and consumer of rice. This research aimed to determine the presence of Dense and Erect Panicle 1 (DEP1) gene, one of the key determinants of rice yield, in three rice cultivars (Faro 44, Jip, and Jamila) grown in Nigeria. Candidate gene SSR-based molecular markers were used for the identification. Rice plant DNAs were extracted using the DNeasy® plants mini kit method. A pair of primers was manually designed based on the DNA sequences flanking the chosen SSR markers for the DEP1 gene. These primers were used to detect the presence of the gene, and they successfully amplified the target region. The expected amplicon size was approximately 500 bp. The results showed that all three rice varieties carry the DEP1 gene. This led to the conclusion that cg-SSR-based markers are useful and reliable tools for identifying genes of interest in rice.