Unlocking the relationships among population structure, plant architecture, growing season, and environmental adaptation in Henan wheat cultivars

Abstract

Background Ecological environments shape plant architecture and alter the growing season, which provides the basis for wheat genetic improvement. Therefore, understanding the genetic basis of grain yield and yield-related traits in specific ecological environments is important. Results A structured panel of 96 elite wheat cultivars grown in the High-yield zone of Henan province in China was genotyped using an Illumina iSelect 90 K SNP assay. Selection pressure derived from ecological environments of mountain front and plain region provided the initial impetus for population divergence. This determined the dominant traits in two subpopulations (spike number and spike percentage were dominance in subpopulation 2:1; thousand-kernel weight, grain filling rate (GFR), maturity date (MD), and fertility period (FP) were dominance in subpopulation 2:2), which was also consistent with their inheritance from the donor parents. Genome wide association studies identified 107 significant SNPs for 12 yield-related traits and 10 regions were pleiotropic to multiple traits. Especially, GY was co-located with MD/FP, GFR and HD at QTL-ple5A, QTL-ple7A.1 and QTL-ple7B.1 region. Further selective sweep analysis revealled that regions under selection were around QTLs for these traits. Especially, grain yield (GY) is positively correlated with MD/FP and they were co-located at the VRN-1A locus. Besides, a selective sweep signal was detected at VRN-1B locus which was only significance to MD/FP. Conclusions The results indicated that extensive differential in allele frequency driven by ecological selection has shaped plant architecture and growing season during yield improvement. The QTLs for yield and yield components detected in this study probably be selectively applied in molecular breeding.

Mapping and validation of major and stable QTL for flag leaf size from tetraploid wheat

“…Flag leaf size (e.g., FLL, FLW, FLA, and FLR) is an important factor of wheat ‘ideotype’ (Donald., 1968). Understanding the appropriate wheat‐related traits in a specific ecological environment is important for improving wheat yield (Yang et al., 2020). By mapping major and stable colocated QTL for flag leaf‐related traits and further combining with molecular marker‐assisted selection (MAS) technology, wheat plants with different types of flag leaf can be selected more effectively.…”

“…For example, in rice, lw5 mainly affects the increase in the number of primary vascular bundles in the leaves, which leads to the increase in the width of the leaves (Zhu et al, 2020). Overexpression of OsSRK1 (an Atypical S-Receptor-Like Kinase) may affect the number of cells per leaf and the formation of vascular bundles, resulting in increased leaf width (Zhou et al, 2020). In maize (Zea mays L.), ZmNL4 is a kelch-repeat superfamily gene, which may be involved in the regulation of cell division and changes in the number of cells leading to an increase in leaf width (Gao et al, 2021).…”

Genetic diversity and population structure of modern wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars in Henan Province of China based on SNP markers

“…The selection pressure caused by ecological conditions can also affect the characteristics of the bred varieties. Yang et al stated that "the temperature in Henan generally decreases from southern to northern latitudes, but the ecological factors in different regions provide different selection pressures and have shaped plant architecture and growing season" (41). Genetic diversity analysis showed that 61.3% of the SNPs had high genetic differentiation (Fst > 0.2); 69.7% had high genetic differentiation in subgenome B, whereas 52.0% and 56.6% had high genetic differentiation in subgenomes A and D, respectively.…”

“…Previous studies have examined the genetic diversity and population structure of Urartu wheat (Triticum urartu) [24], Aegilops tauschii [25], crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum L.) [26], wild emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccoides) [27], durum wheat (Triticum durum) [28][29][30][31], synthetic wheat [32], and common wheat (Triticum aestivum) [3,[33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41] using simple sequence repeats (SSR), diversity array technology (DArT), and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), as well as other molecular markers and analysis software. Although studies from around the world have investigated the population genetic structure and genetic diversity of wheat, no such reports have been provided for Henan Province.…”

Genome-Wide Association Study for Spike Traits and Distribution of Two QTLs for Grain Number in Chinese Wheat Cultivars

“…Different wheat regions exhibit diverse ecological environments, thereby influencing the overall spike structure of plants. Extensive variations in allele frequency, driven by ecological selection, have played a pivotal role in shaping plant architecture and influencing the growing season during yield improvement [23]. Understanding the genetic basis of grain number variation and uncovering the mechanisms governing their selection and application across different regions of China assumes paramount significance.…”