Identification of quantitative trait loci (QTL) and meta-QTL analysis for kernel size-related traits in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

BMC Plant Biology

Research

Tian Tian¹  Yuan Liu¹  Peng Wang¹  Tao Chen¹  Fahimeh Shahinnia²  Zhuo Che³  Peipei Zhang⁴  Jingfu Ma⁵  Delong Yang⁶ 

[1] College of Life Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China;Institute for Crop Science and Plant Breeding, Bavarian State Research Centre for Agriculture, Freising, Germany;Plant Seed Master Station of Gansu Province, Lanzhou, Gansu, China;State Key Lab of Aridland Crop Science, Lanzhou, Gansu, China;State Key Lab of Aridland Crop Science, Lanzhou, Gansu, China;College of Agronomy, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China;State Key Lab of Aridland Crop Science, Lanzhou, Gansu, China;College of Life Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China;

关键词: Wheat;    Kernel size;    MQTL analysis;    Gene expression;    Candidate gene;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12870-022-03989-9

 received in 2022-08-05, accepted in 2022-12-08,  发布年份 2022

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundKernel size-related traits, including kernel length (KL), kernel width (KW), kernel diameter ratio (KDR) and kernel thickness (KT), are critical determinants for wheat kernel weight and yield and highly governed by a type of quantitative genetic basis. Genome-wide identification of major and stable quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and functional genes are urgently required for genetic improvement in wheat kernel yield. A hexaploid wheat population consisting of 120 recombinant inbred lines was developed to identify QTLs for kernel size-related traits under different water environments. The meta-analysis and transcriptome evaluation were further integrated to identify major genomic regions and putative candidate genes.ResultsThe analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed more significant genotypic effects for kernel size-related traits, indicating the moderate to high heritability of 0.61–0.89. Thirty-two QTLs for kernel size-related traits were identified, explaining 3.06%—14.2% of the phenotypic variation. Eleven stable QTLs were detected in more than three water environments. The 1103 original QTLs from the 34 previous studies and the present study were employed for the MQTL analysis and refined into 58 MQTLs. The average confidence interval of the MQTLs was 3.26-fold less than that of the original QTLs. The 1864 putative candidate genes were mined within the regions of 12 core MQTLs, where 70 candidate genes were highly expressed in spikes and kernels by comprehensive analysis of wheat transcriptome data. They were involved in various metabolic pathways, such as carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms, carbon metabolism, mRNA surveillance pathway, RNA transport and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites.ConclusionsMajor genomic regions and putative candidate genes for kernel size-related traits in wheat have been revealed by an integrative strategy with QTL linkage mapping, meta-analysis and transcriptomic assessment. The findings provide a novel insight into understanding the genetic determinants of kernel size-related traits and will be useful for the marker-assisted selection of high yield in wheat breeding.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2022

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