What is the Molecular Basis of Aroma in Biriyanicheera - A Tropical Aromatic Rice Genotype

The aromatic rice cultivars possess excellent aroma generally when grown in their favourable and specific environments. An early maturing selection from a Kerala aromatic local landrace with short grains, named ‘Biriyanicheera’, when grown in normal tropical conditions was sufficiently fragrant. The present study focused on the analysis of aroma in ‘Biriyanicheera’ rice genotype through molecular methods. The seeds of two aromatic rice varieties viz., Biriyanicheera and Gandhakasala (from Palakkad, Thrissur and Ernakulam districts) along with one non-aromatic rice variety Triveni (control) were used for the study. The BADH2 gene was amplified in all the three rice varieties. Upon sequencing the amplified PCR products of genomic DNA, the mutation in BADH2 gene was detected. The sequencing results of aromatic varieties revealed the presence of 8 base pair mutation in exon 7 in Biriyanicheera and Gandhakasala, whereas this mutation was absent in the non-aromatic variety Triveni. This indicated that aroma production in Biriyanicheera variety is due to similar mutation in BADH2 gene as that of the popular scented rice Basmati.