Identification and validation of plant height, spike length and spike compactness loci in common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Abstract

Background Plant height (PH), spike length (SL) and spike compactness (SCN) are important agronomic traits in wheat due to their strong correlations with lodging and yield. Thus, dissection of their genetic basis is essential for the improvement of plant architecture and yield potential in wheat breeding. The objective of this study was to map quantitative trait loci (QTL) for PH, SL and SCN in a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from the cross ‘PuBing3228 × Gao8901’ (PG-RIL) and to evaluate the potential values of these QTL to improve yield. Results In the current study, Five, six and ten stable QTL for PH, SL, and SCN, respectively, were identified in at least two individual environments. Five major QTL QPh.cas-5A.3, QPh.cas-6A, QSl.cas-6B.2, QScn.cas-2B.2 and QScn.cas-6B explained 5.58–25.68% of the phenotypic variation. Notably, two, three and three novel stable QTL for PH, SL and SCN were identified in this study, which could provide further insights into the genetic factors that shape PH and spike morphology in wheat. Conditional QTL analysis revealed that QTL for SCN were mainly affected by SL. Moreover, a Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR (KASP) marker tightly linked to stable major QTL QPh.cas-5A.3 was developed and verified using the PG-RIL population and a natural population. Conclusions Twenty-one stable QTL related to PH, SL, and SCN were identified. These stable QTL and the user-friendly marker KASP8750 will facilitate future studies involving positional cloning and marker-assisted selection in breeding.

Characterization of a wheat stable QTL for spike length and its genetic effects on yield-related traits

“…Based on the genotypic data for the KJ-RILs, qSl-2B was mapped to the 60.06–73.06 Mb interval on chromosome 2B (based on the KN9204 genome assembly), and it was mapped to the KN2B: 64.93–65.41 Mb region in five of the 10 datasets, corresponding to the CS2B: 55.52–55.99 Mb section of the Chinese spring reference genome. To date, numerous QTLs for SL have been documented ( http://wheatqtldb.net/yield_new.php ) (Table S3 ) [ 9 , 40 – 51 ]. Of these, Arif et al [ 51 ] identified six QTLs controlling SL at 30.5 Mb, 144.65 Mb, 248.15 Mb, 546.61 Mb, 772.79 Mb, and 775.17 Mb on chromosome 2B, respectively.…”

“…Spike length (SL) is an important component of spike morphology in wheat and has an important influence on yield [ 2 , 4 ]. Previous reports have indicated that SL was usually closely correlated with spike compactness (SCN), thousand kernel weight (TKW), and grain yield per plant (GYPP) [ 5 – 9 ]. In addition, Jantasuriyarat et al [ 10 ] reported that SL was positively correlated with spikelet number per spike (SNPS) and that an allele from W7984 could have simultaneous genetic effects on both SCN and SL.…”

Physical map of QTLs for some agronomic traits across many environments, identification of related candidate genes, and development of KASP markers with emphasis on terminal heat stress tolerance in common wheat

“…8). KASP marker for a QTL controlling agronomic traits in wheat was also developed in a recent study (Liu et al 2022). The three KASP markers were also veri ed on a collection of germplasm accessions which also contained some known heat tolerant genotypes (Table S3).…”

Identification of a novel SNP in the miR172 binding site ofQhomoeologAP2L-D5is associated with spike compactness and agronomic traits in wheat (Triticum aestivumL.)

“…Multiple miR172 binding site alleles of AP2L5 have been generated with a range of phenotypic consequences. In addition to these major loci, other quantitative trait loci (QTLs) influencing spike length have been identified on several chromosomes (Liu et al 2022; Wolde et al 2019; Yu et al 2022). However, few QTLs contributing to spike morphology have ultimately been cloned, suggesting that further genetic dissection is warranted.…”