Mapping of a major QTL for salt tolerance of mature field-grown maize plants based on SNP markers

Abstract

BackgroundSalt stress significantly restricts plant growth and production. Maize is an important food and economic crop but is also a salt sensitive crop. Identification of the genetic architecture controlling salt tolerance facilitates breeders to select salt tolerant lines. However, the critical quantitative trait loci (QTLs) responsible for the salt tolerance of field-grown maize plants are still unknown.ResultsTo map the main genetic factors contributing to salt tolerance in mature maize, a double haploid population (240 individuals) and 1317 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers were employed to produce a genetic linkage map covering 1462.05 cM. Plant height of mature maize cultivated in the saline field (SPH) and plant height-based salt tolerance index (ratio of plant height between saline and control fields, PHI) were used to evaluate salt tolerance of mature maize plants. A major QTL for SPH was detected on Chromosome 1 with the LOD score of 22.4, which explained 31.2% of the phenotypic variation. In addition, the major QTL conditioning PHI was also mapped at the same position on Chromosome 1, and two candidate genes involving in ion homeostasis were identified within the confidence interval of this QTL.ConclusionsThe detection of the major QTL in adult maize plant establishes the basis for the map-based cloning of genes associated with salt tolerance and provides a potential target for marker assisted selection in developing maize varieties with salt tolerance.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12870-017-1090-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

QTL analysis of salt tolerance in Sorghum bicolor during whole‐plant growth stages

“…A QTL analysis of agronomic traits over the whole‐growth duration under salt stress has not been reported in sorghum. Fortunately, some research on QTLs related to salt tolerance in the whole growth stages has been conducted in barley, rice and maize (Chai et al, ; Eleuch et al, ; Luo et al, ; Rao, John, & Kumar, ; Sbei et al, ; Xue et al, ), and these studies provide methods for evaluating salt tolerance in the mature stage. In the evaluation of salt tolerance in the late growth stage, many parameters including agronomic and physiological traits have been used as indicators of the effect of salt stress.…”

Engineering salinity tolerance in plants: progress and prospects

“…SSR markers have been used to scan crop genomes to identify markers associated with salt tolerance in cotton (Zhao et al 2016) and cucumber (Kere et al 2017). In maize, Luo et al (2017) mapped the QTLs for salt tolerance using a doubled haploid population and high-density SNP markers. The authors isolated major QTLs for salt tolerance and identified two candidate genes involved in ion homeostasis.…”

Genome-wide identification, characterization, and expression analysis of the monovalent cation-proton antiporter superfamily in maize, and functional analysis of its role in salt tolerance

“…ZmNHX8 was upregulated in NaCl treatment, but ZmNHX4 , - 5 , and -11 were downregulated in root. NHX7/SOS1 is critical for excluding Na + from plant roots [51] and ZmNHX2 is associated with a major quantitative trait locus (QTL), qST1 , which confers salt tolerance on maize plants [52, 53]. Upregulated expressions of ZmNHX8 in our salinity treatment support the idea that their roles in response to salt stress may be conserved in maize.…”