Abstract:
It is revealed that the gene responsible for the fragrance in rice is Betaine aldehyde
dehydrogenease (badh2) gene. An 8-bp deletion and three single nucleotide polymorphisms
in the exon 7 of badh2 gene, named as badh2.1 allele, was reported to result in accumulation
of a major aromatic compound, 2-acetyl 1-pyrroline (2AP) in fragrant rice. Although badh2.1
is the predominant allele in virtually all fragrant varieties, exceptions such as involvement
of another genetic loci or allele had been reported by several researchers. This study was
conducted aiming at detecting presence or absence of badh2.1 allele in popular traditional Sri
Lankan fragrant rice varieties. A 463-bp DNA fragment was amplified covering 7th exon region
and sequenced. The results showed that “Lanka Samurdi”, the fragrant high yielding variety,
possesses the 8bp deletion while highly fragrant three traditional rice varieties did not show the
particular mutation. Hence it confirms that the aroma in most of Sri Lankan traditional fragrant
varieties is not resulted by the badh2.1 allele but by another genetic factor.
