SUB1A gene screening for submergence stress in Indonesian local rice varieties

Abstract

Indonesia is a country which has a different altitude within the landscape. Indonesian lowland altitude is fewer than 200 MASL which in turn makes those places prone to flooding. This problem becomes a scourge for rice farmers; therefore, it is urged to take action to maintain food security in Indonesia. Indonesia has many local rice varieties. Based on their morphological and anatomical studies, some of those varieties predicted to have some capability stand over inundations. Submergence-1A (Sub1A) has been reported to be responsible for inundation tolerance. The expression of the Sub1A gene let the rice to survive up to 14 days under inundation stress. The purpose of this study was to look up the presence of the Sub1A gene in Indonesian local rice varieties to find inundation tolerant rice variety. Sub1A gene amplified using PCR with gene-specific primers followed by electrophoresis on 1% agarose. The result of this study has found the Sub1A gene in some rice varieties proved by the presence of specific DNA fragment band.