Multiple-line cross QTL mapping for biomass yield and plant height in triticale (× Triticosecale Wittmack)

Abstract

QTL mapping in multiple families identifies trait-specific and pleiotropic QTL for biomass yield and plant height in triticale. Triticale shows a broad genetic variation for biomass yield which is of interest for a range of purposes, including bioenergy. Plant height is a major contributor to biomass yield and in this study, we investigated the genetic architecture underlying biomass yield and plant height by multiple-line cross QTL mapping. We employed 647 doubled haploid lines from four mapping populations that have been evaluated in four environments and genotyped with 1710 DArT markers. Twelve QTL were identified for plant height and nine for biomass yield which cross-validated explained 59.6 and 38.2 % of the genotypic variance, respectively. A major QTL for both traits was identified on chromosome 5R which likely corresponds to the dominant dwarfing gene Ddw1. In addition, we detected epistatic QTL for plant height and biomass yield which, however, contributed only little to the genetic architecture of the traits. In conclusion, our results demonstrate the potential of genomic approaches for a knowledge-based improvement of biomass yield in triticale.

<b>Identification of QTL underlying agronomic, morphological and physiological traits in barley under rainfed conditions using SNP markers

“…Plant height is a complex trait determined by many genes with small effects (Alheit et al, 2014). Therefore, many QTLs have been mapped on all seven chromosomes using different types of molecular markers, such as SSRs (Inostroza et al, 2009), DArT (Wang et al, 2014) and SNPs (Zhou, Zhang, Zhang, Tan, & Li, 2015).…”

Low-altitude, high-resolution aerial imaging systems for row and field crop phenotyping: A review

“…The applications of time-of-flight based sensors are commonly used for evaluating physical/morphological plant characteristics such as plant growth, height, and canopy volume/vigor. These parameters are important in evaluating plant performances during breeding, and can be indicative of yield potential (Wei et al, 2010;Ilker et al, 2013;Alheit et al, 2014;Njogu et al, 2014). In regard to the spectroscopic and imaging techniques, a number of plant phenotypes such as disease susceptibility, susceptibility to drought stress, chlorophyll content, nutrient concentrations, growth rates, and yield potential can be evaluated (Zhang and Kovacs, 2012).…”

Adult Plant Development in Triticale (× Triticosecale Wittmack) Is Controlled by Dynamic Genetic Patterns of Regulation

“…The semi-dwarf Reduced height ( Rht ) -1 homeologous loci from wheat are located on the group 4 chromosomes of the different genomes (Wilhelm et al 2013). In the mapping population underlying this study, the major plant height gene Ddw1 (Korzun et al 1996; Börner et al 1999), located on the rye chromosome 5R has been shown to segregate and to exhibit a strong effect on plant height (Alheit et al 2014). Photoperiod ( Ppd ) homeologs are located on group 2 chromosomes and in wheat Ppd-D1 has been shown to possess the strongest effect on photoperiod insensitivity and thus the transition from vegetative to generative growth (Beales et al 2007).…”

“…The other identified major QTL do not appear to correspond to any of the abovementioned major genes and therefore may represent other pathways affecting plant development. We have previously performed a QTL mapping in this population for plant height (Alheit et al 2014) and 9 of the 12 plant height QTL regions were identified in this study to affect developmental stage. Although these QTL were not major QTL, this finding illustrates the interrelations between plant height and adult plant development.…”

“…Triticale (× Triticosecale Wittmack) is a hexaploid crop containing the A and B genomes from wheat and the R genome from rye. QTL mapping in multiple families of triticale recently has been reported for biomass yield and plant height (Alheit et al 2014). …”