Genetic Mapping and Validation of Loci for Kernel-Related Traits in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Xiangru Qu; Jiajun Liu; Xinlin Xie; Qiang Xu; Huaping Tang; Yang Mu; Zhien Pu; Yang Li; Jun Ma; Yutian Gao; Qiantao Jiang; Yaxi Liu; Guoyue Chen; Jirui Wang; Pengfei Qi; Ahsan Habib; Yuming Wei; Youliang Zheng; Xiujin Lan; Jian Ma

doi:10.3389/fpls.2021.667493

Genetic Mapping and Validation of Loci for Kernel-Related Traits in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Front Plant Sci. 2021 Jun 7:12:667493. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2021.667493. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Xiangru Qu¹, Jiajun Liu¹, Xinlin Xie¹, Qiang Xu¹, Huaping Tang¹, Yang Mu¹, Zhien Pu², Yang Li², Jun Ma³, Yutian Gao³, Qiantao Jiang¹, Yaxi Liu¹, Guoyue Chen¹, Jirui Wang¹, Pengfei Qi¹, Ahsan Habib⁴, Yuming Wei¹, Youliang Zheng¹, Xiujin Lan¹, Jian Ma¹

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Exploration and Utilization in Southwest China, Triticeae Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.
² College of Agronomy, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.
³ College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
⁴ Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh.

Abstract

Kernel size (KS) and kernel weight play a key role in wheat yield. Phenotypic data from six environments and a Wheat55K single-nucleotide polymorphism array-based constructed genetic linkage map from a recombinant inbred line population derived from the cross between the wheat line 20828 and the line SY95-71 were used to identify quantitative trait locus (QTL) for kernel length (KL), kernel width (KW), kernel thickness (KT), thousand-kernel weight (TKW), kernel length-width ratio (LWR), KS, and factor form density (FFD). The results showed that 65 QTLs associated with kernel traits were detected, of which the major QTLs QKL.sicau-2SY-1B, QKW.sicau-2SY-6D, QKT.sicau-2SY-2D, and QTKW.sicau-2SY-2D, QLWR.sicau-2SY-6D, QKS.sicau-2SY-1B/2D/6D, and QFFD.sicau-2SY-2D controlling KL, KW, KT, TKW, LWR, KS, and FFD, and identified in multiple environments, respectively. They were located on chromosomes 1BL, 2DL, and 6DS and formed three QTL clusters. Comparison of genetic and physical interval suggested that only QKL.sicau-2SY-1B located on chromosome 1BL was likely a novel QTL. A Kompetitive Allele Specific Polymerase chain reaction (KASP) marker, KASP-AX-109379070, closely linked to this novel QTL was developed and used to successfully confirm its effect in two different genetic populations and three variety panels consisting of 272 Chinese wheat landraces, 300 Chinese wheat cultivars most from the Yellow and Huai River Valley wheat region, and 165 Sichuan wheat cultivars. The relationships between kernel traits and other agronomic traits were detected and discussed. A few predicted genes involved in regulation of kernel growth and development were identified in the intervals of these identified major QTL. Taken together, these stable and major QTLs provide valuable information for understanding the genetic composition of kernel yield and provide the basis for molecular marker-assisted breeding.

Keywords: 55K SNP array; common wheat; kernel traits; quantitative trait locus; validation.