Low temperature is a common production constraint in rice cultivation in temperate zones and high-elevation environments, with the potential to affect growth and development from germination to grain filling. There is a wide range of genotype-based differences in cold tolerance among rice varieties, these differences often reflecting growth conditions in the place of origin, as well as breeding history. However, improving low temperature tolerance of varieties has been difficult, due to a lack of clarity of the genetic basis to low temperature tolerance for different growth stages of the rice plant. Seeds or plants of 17 rice varieties of different origins were exposed to low temperature during germination (15°C), seedling, booting, and flowering stages (18.5°C), to assess their cold tolerance at different growth stages. Low temperature at the germination stage reduced both the percentage and speed of germination. Varieties from China (B55, Banjiemang, and Lijianghegu) and Hungary (HSC55) were more tolerant of low temperature than other varieties. Most of the varieties showed moderate levels of low temperature tolerance during the seedling stage, the exceptions being some varieties from Australia (Pelde, YRL39, and YRM64) and Africa (WAB160 and WAB38), which were susceptible to low temperature at the seedling stage. Low temperature at booting and flowering stages reduced plant growth and caused a significant decline in spikelet fertility. Some varieties from China (B55, Bangjiemang, Lijiangheigu), Japan (Jyoudeki), the USA (M103, M104), and Australia (Quest) were tolerant or moderately tolerant, while the remaining varieties were susceptible or moderately susceptible to low temperature at booting and flowering stages. Three varieties from China (B55, Lijianghegu, Banjiemang) and one from Hungary (HSC55) showed consistent tolerance to low temperature at all growth stages. These varieties are potentially important gene donors for breeding and genetic studies. The cold tolerance of the 17 rice varieties assessed at different growth stages was correlated. Screening for cold tolerance during early growth stages can therefore potentially be an effective way for assessing cold tolerance in breeding programs.

Rice, with its wide geographic distribution extending from 50°N to 35°S, is expected to be the most vulnerable cultivated crop to future changing climates. Among the different abiotic stresses, extreme temperatures coinciding with critical developmental stages, increasingly frequent floods and drought spells, and worsening sea water inundation are some of the major threats to sustainable rice productivity. Following the successful implementation of molecular markerassisted backcrossing to introgress large-effect QTL for submergence tolerance in rice mega varieties, rice breeding for drought, salinity and, recently, heat tolerance is employing the same approach. Although tolerance for combined submergence and salinity has been achieved, developing rice varieties with multiple tolerance for other abiotic and biotic stresses and finding the appropriate agronomic package to exploit their performance remain a challenge. The major bottleneck is the lack of unidentified large-effect QTL for other abiotic stresses that are strongly influenced by genotype 9 environment (G 9 E) interaction. Rapid advances in the use of molecular tools, including a plethora of SNP markers, are expected to facilitate the development of major abiotic stress-tolerant rice. In response to the actual farmer field situation, progress achieved in understanding and developing independent abiotic stress tolerance is being exploited to combine tolerances (for example, heat and drought; salinity and submergence) to address emerging environmental problems across a wide range of rice ecosystems.

Low temperature is a major abiotic stress for rice cultivation, causing serious yield loss in many countries. To identify QTL controlling low temperature induced spikelet sterility in rice, the progeny of F2, BC1F1 and BC2F1 populations derived from a Reiziq 9 Lijiangheigu cross were exposed to 21/15°C for 15 days at the booting stage, and spikelet sterility was assessed. For genotyping, 92 polymorphic markers from 373 SSR and 325 STS primer pairs were used. A major QTL was initially indentified on the short arm of chromosome 10 by selective genotyping using highly tolerant and susceptible progeny from F2 and BC1F1 populations. The QTL (qLTSPKST10.1) was validated and mapped by genotyping the entire F2 (282 progeny) and BC1F1 (84 progeny) populations.The results from the F2 population showed that qLTSPKST10.1 could explain 20.5% of the variation in spikelet sterility caused by low temperature treatment with additive (a = 14.4) and dominant effect (d = -7.5). From the analysis of 98 selected BC2F1 progeny, the QTL located in the 3.5 cM interval between S10010.9 and S10014.4 was further confirmed. Based on the studies of 3 generations in 2 years, it was clear that the QTL on chromosome 10 is a major determinant of the control of low temperature induced spikelet sterility at booting stage.

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