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ARS Home » Plains Area » Manhattan, Kansas » Center for Grain and Animal Health Research » Hard Winter Wheat Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #319849

Title: Mapping quantitative trait loci for plant adaptation and morphology traits in wheat using single nucleotide polymorphisms

Author
item Bai, Guihua
item LI, CHUNLIAN - Kansas State University
item CARVER, BRETT - Oklahoma State University
item Chao, Shiaoman
item WANG, ZHONGHUA - Northwest Agricultural & Forestry University

Submitted to: Euphytica
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/1/2015
Publication Date: 3/1/2016
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/63240
Citation: Bai, G., Li, C., Carver, B., Chao, S., Wang, Z. 2016. Mapping quantitative trait loci for plant adaptation and morphology traits in wheat using single nucleotide polymorphisms. Euphytica. 208:299-312. doi:10.1007/s10681-015-1594-x.

Interpretive Summary: Wheat morphological and adaptation-related traits define the growing areas where a wheat cultivar is most suitable. This study used a genetic map developed from the wheat population ‘Ning7840’ x ‘Clark’ to analyze genes that control wheat heading date, lodging resistance, shattering resistance, cold tolerance, plant height, spike length, spike compactness, awn length, and chaff color. The population was evaluated for all these traits in eight Oklahoma environments from 2001 to 2004. Results showed that 31 genes were involved in controlling these different traits and six genes showed effects on two to three traits each. Important interactions between genes and between genes and environments were also identified. The findings provide DNA markers for selecting these important traits to improve future wheat cultivars.

Technical Abstract: Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) morphological and adaptation-related traits that are controlled by quantitative traits loci (QTL) define potential growing areas of a wheat cultivar. To dissect the QTL for heading date (HD), lodging resistance (LR), shattering resistance (SR), cold tolerance (CT), plant height (PH), spike length (SL), spike compactness (SC), awn length (AL) and chaff color (CC), a high-density genetic map with single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers was developed using recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from ‘Ning7840’ x ‘Clark’. The RILs were evaluated in eight Oklahoma environments from 2001 to 2004. A total of 31 QTL with additive effects on different traits were mapped on most wheat chromosomes except for 1D, 3A, 3D, 4D, 6D and 7B. Six chromosome regions showed either tightly linked QTL or QTL with pleiotropic effects for two to three traits. Five pairs of QTL showed additive x additive effects (AA), 10 QTL were involved in additive x environment (AE) effects, and one was involved in AAE effects. Among10 traits evaluated, only three (SH, AL and CC) were controlled by a single gene in this biparental population. Six traits were conditioned by multiple QTL. A total of 126 markers were tightly linked to the QTL. The findings shed light on the inheritance of wheat morphological and adaptation-related traits and provide DNA markers for manipulating these important traits to improve wheat production.