Vol. 9, Special Issue 11, Part A (2025)

A set of twenty rice genotypes including four tolerant (CSR-10, CSR-36, FL-478 and CSR-27) and two susceptible (IR-29 and IR-64) checks, were evaluated in in vitro conditions for salinity tolerance by molecular analysis using SSR markers. Genetic profiling of entries with a panel of 20 SSR primer pairs, a total of 78 alleles were reported, with an average of 3.9 alleles per marker. 2 to 8 distinct alleles were found for each marker pair. The lowest alleles 2.0 were produced by primer RM 3412, while the highest number of alleles 8 was produced by primer RM-1089 respectively. Among the primer pairs utilized, three SSR primer pairs, namely RM 140, RM 1287 and RM 3412, were validated based on their efficiency in distinguishing salt tolerant genotypes from susceptible genotypes. These three primers can be utilized for the purpose of genetic differentiation and discrimination in relation to salt stress responsiveness of the rice genotypes. Overall, the study demonstrates that screening with SSR-based validation is effective for rapidly identifying salt tolerant rice genotypes, such as CSR-36, CSR-27, FL-478, CSR-10, Panvel-1, Panvel-3, Konkan Khara and Panvel-2 which emerge as promising donors for breeding programs.