Advancement in Tracking Down Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Rice: Molecular Breeding and Genomics Insight

In an effort to increase the productivity of rice, there has been a substantial increase in the application of exogenous nitrogen fertilizer but with detrimental consequences that negatively impacted the environment. Hence, it becomes extremely essential under the current scenario to reduce the application of nitrogen but devise new solutions to maximize the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of crops. NUE has been defined as the yield of dry matter produced per unit of nitrogen applied to the soil. Consequently, conscious efforts need to be put in to identify plants with higher yield under low N input. Identifying the QTLs as well as the candidate genes and the signaling pathways associated with several facets of NUE using molecular markers can be used as an important tool as has already been seen for other areas of research like biotic and abiotic stresses. Here in this chapter, we have talked about the use of marker-assisted technology in improving the identification of QTLs associated with NUE in rice.