AUTHOR=Laghari Azhar Ali , Ahmad Aqeel , Memon Shabana , Musavi Syed Abdul Majeed , Ali Aamir , Kumar Akash , Guo Qingxia 

TITLE=Genetic diversity in F3 segregating populations of rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes under salt stress

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=Volume 16 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1568859

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2025.1568859

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=Rice is an important cereal crop rich in starch and carbohydrates grown around the globe. Despite its significance, rice exhibits substantial genetic variation, particularly under environmental stresses such as salinity. This study investigates the genetic diversity of F3 segregating populations of rice under normal and salt stress. Various segregating genotypes were evaluated, demonstrating statistically significant differences (p<0.01 and p<0.05, ANOVA) in morphological and physiological parameters. The genotypes Kharagnjia and L-12 performed well in normal soils, while Shua-92 and L-20 showed better performance in tiller plant-1 and panicle length. The cluster analysis grouped rice genotypes into four major clusters based on genetic similarity. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) identified tillers per plant, panicle length, grain yield per plant, and leaf area as key contributors to genetic variation. The highest variability was observed in PC-XII (100%) and PC-XI (98.3%). These findings provide valuable insights for breeding programs aimed at enhancing salt tolerance in rice.