Identifying loci controlling fiber composition in polyploid sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) through genome wide association study

Authors: YANG, XIPING - University Of Florida; Todd, James; ARUNADALE, REBECCA - Bp Biofuels North America, Llc; BINDER, JOSEPH - Bp Biofuels North America, Llc; LUO, ZILIANG - University Of Florida; Islam, Md; Sood, Sushma; WANG, JIANPING - University Of Florida

Submitted to: Industrial Crops and Products
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/12/2019
Publication Date: 1/17/2019
Citation: Yang, X., Todd, J.R., Arunadale, R., Binder, J., Luo, Z., Islam, M.S., Sood, S.G., Wang, J. 2019. Identifying loci controlling fiber composition in polyploid sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) through genome wide association study. Industrial Crops and Products. 130:598-605.

Interpretive Summary: The energy crisis of the 1970s spurred the exploration of renewable energy. As an energy-efficient C4 plant, sugarcane is an important feedstock for producing bio-ethanol, contributing approximately 60% bio-ethanol globally. Evaluation of fiber composition and dissection of underling loci in sugarcane are critical for breeding sugarcane cultivars for bio-ethanol production. Different fiber components of the cell wall could greatly affect conversion of lignocellulose to bio-ethanol. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the fiber composition of each accession in a sugarcane association panel including 299 germplasm accessions and 9 breeding materials in three replicates, and to identify the markers associated with the fiber compositions through whole genome wide association analyses. This is the first investigation of molecular factors controlling the fiber composition of the cell wall in sugarcane. This study provides a large number of novel genomic resources for selecting/modifying fiber composition in sugarcane simultaneously to improve bio-ethanol production. Moreover, the current study suggests that introduction of diverse or wide germplasm in breeding programs to enhance other sugarcane traits would not change sugarcane lignocellulose quality for bio-ethanol production.

Technical Abstract: Evaluation of fiber composition and dissection of underlying loci in sugarcane are critical for breeding sugarcane cultivars for bio-ethanol production. The energy crisis of the 1970s spurred the exploration of renewable energy. As an energy-efficient C4 plant, sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is an important feedstock for producing bio-ethanol, contributing approximately 60% bio-ethanol globally. Cell wall of plants mainly consists of cellulose, hemi-cellulose and lignin. Different fiber components of the cell wall could greatly affect conversion of lignocellulose to bio-ethanol. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the fiber composition of each accession in a sugarcane association panel including 299 germplasm accessions and 9 breeding materials in three replicates, and to identify the markers associated with the fiber compositions through whole genome wide association analyses. In total, 106 putative DNA markers and 107 genes were identified associated with 10 of the fiber components evaluated. This is the first investigation of molecular factors controlling the fiber composition of the cell wall in sugarcane. This study provides a large number of novel genomic resources for selecting/modifying fiber composition in sugarcane simultaneously to improve bio-ethanol production. Moreover, the current study suggests that introduction of diverse or wide germplasm in breeding programs to enhance other sugarcane traits would not change sugarcane lignocellulose quality for bio-ethanol production.