Identification of genetic loci associated with crude protein and mineral concentrations in alfalfa (Medicago sativa) using association mapping

Abstract

BackgroundAlfalfa (Medicago sativa) is one of the most important legume forage species in China and many other countries of the world. It provides a quality source of proteins and minerals to animals. Genetic underpinnings for these important traits, however, are elusive. An alfalfa (M. sativa) association mapping study for six traits, namely crude protein (CP), rumen undegraded protein (RUP), and four mineral elements (Ca, K, Mg and P), was conducted in three consecutive years using a large collection encompassing 336 genotypes genotyped with 85 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers.ResultsAll the traits were significantly influenced by genotype, environment, and genotype × environment interaction. Eight-five significant associations (P < 0.005) were identified. Among these, five associations with Ca were repeatedly observed and six co-localized associations were identified.ConclusionsThe identified marker alleles significantly associated with the traits provided important information for understanding genetic controls of alfalfa quality. The markers could be used in assisting selection for the individual traits in breeding populations for developing new alfalfa cultivars.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12870-017-1047-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Genomic Prediction for 25 Agronomic and Quality Traits in Alfalfa (Medicago sativa)

“…Since our previous works have described the phenotypic variations of some fiber-related traits ( Wang et al, 2016 ) and crude protein and mineral elements ( Jia et al, 2017 ), we will not describe them in this study. Instead, we want to represent the EBV variations of all traits incorporated in this study.…”

“…All the plants were harvested at early flowering stage and prepared to measure the 15 quality traits using a FOSS 5000 scanning monochromator (FOSS, Denmark). The 15 quality traits included three fiber-related traits, four digestibility-related traits, and eight nutrition component traits being measured following the procedures described in our previous studies ( Wang et al, 2016 ; Jia et al, 2017 ). Before harvesting, plant height (PH) of each plot was measured as nature height on every plant.…”

Harnessing the Potential of Forage Legumes, Alfalfa, Soybean, and Cowpea for Sustainable Agriculture and Global Food Security

“…Therefore, this approach has increasingly been favored in identifying chromosomal loci controlling a particular phenotype expression under certain environmental conditions. In the last few years, several association mapping studies have been conducted using diploid or tetraploid alfalfa breeding populations to identify marker-trait associations for biomass yield and stem composition ( Li et al, 2011 ; Sakiroglu et al, 2012 ), fiber-related traits and digestibility ( Wang et al, 2016a ), and CP concentrations ( Jia et al, 2017 ) ( Table 2 ).…”

Study on differentially expressed genes related to defoliation traits in two alfalfa varieties based on RNA-Seq

“…Alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) is a member of the plant family Fabaceae . Alfalfa is widely distributed across the world and cultivated as a commercial forage crop due to its high protein, vitamin and mineral content [ 1 , 2 ]. Mature alfalfa leaves are the primary crude protein storage organs (approximately 260 g kg − 1 dry basis), and protein content is a crucial indicator of the quality of alfalfa hay [ 3 ].…”