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Identification and validation of major and stable quantitative trait locus for falling number in common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

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Abstract

Key message

A major and stable QTL, QFn.sau-1B.2, which can explain 13.6% of the PVE in FN and has a positive effect on resistance in SGR, was mapped and validated.

Abstract

The falling number (FN) is considered one of the most important quality traits of wheat grain and is the most important quality evaluation index for wheat trade worldwide. The quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for FN were mapped in three years of experiments. 23, 30, and 58 QTLs were identified using the ICIM-BIP, ICIM-MET, and ICIM-EPI methods, respectively. Among them, seven QTLs were considered stable. QFn.sau-1B.2, which was mapped to the 1BL chromosome, can explain 13.6% of the phenotypic variation on average and is considered a major and stable QTL for FN. This QTL was mapped in a 1 cM interval and is flanked by the markers AX-110409346 and AX-108743901. Epistatic analysis indicated that QFN.sau-1B.2 has a strong influence on FN through both additive and epistatic effects. The Kompetitive Allele-Specific PCR marker KASP-AX-108743901, which is closely linked to QFn.sau-1B.2, was designed. The genetic effect of QFn.sau-1B.2 on FN was successfully confirmed in Chuannong18 × T1208 and CN17 × CN11 populations. Moreover, the results of the additive effects of favorable alleles for FN showed that the QTLs for FN had significant effects not only on FN but also on the resistance to spike germination. Within the interval of QFn.sau-1B.2, 147 high-confidence genes were found. According to the gene annotation and the transcriptome data, four genes might be associated with FN. QFn.sau-1B.2 may provide a new resource for the high-quality breeding of wheat in the future.

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Data availability

All experiments and data analyses were conducted in Sichuan, and the Wheat55K SNP genotyping was done at CapitalBio Technology Company in Beijing, China.

Code availability

Not applicable.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the Major Program of National Agricultural Science and Technology of China (NK20220607).

Funding

Major Program of National Agricultural Science and Technology of China (NK20220607), and College Students’ Innovative Entrepreneurial Training Plan Program (S202310626043).

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Author notes

  1. Zhi Li and Qinyi Luo have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Exploration and Utilization in Southwest China, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China

    Zhi Li & Tianheng Ren

  2. College of Agronomy, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China

    Zhi Li, Qinyi Luo, Yujie Gan, Xinli Li, Xia Ou, Yawen Deng, Shulan Fu, Zongxiang Tang, Feiquan Tan, Peigao Luo & Tianheng Ren

  3. Key Laboratory of Plant Genetics and Breeding at, Sichuan Agricultural University of Sichuan Province, Wenjiang, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China

    Zhi Li, Qinyi Luo, Xinli Li, Shulan Fu, Zongxiang Tang, Feiquan Tan, Peigao Luo & Tianheng Ren

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  1. Zhi Li
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Contributions

TR designed the experiments; TR created the RIL population; ZL, QL, YG, XL, XO, YD, SF, ZT, FT, and PL participated in phenotype measurement; QL and ZL participated in data analysis and processing; ZL and QL performed QTL analysis; FT performed the field management; TR wrote the manuscript. All authors participated in the research and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tianheng Ren.

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All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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We declare that these experiments complied with the ethical standards in China.

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All authors contributed to the study and approved the final version for submission.

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Communicated by Susanne Dreisigacker.

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Supplementary Information

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122_2024_4588_MOESM1_ESM.docx

Fig. S1 Genotyping results of KASP markers related to FN, A: Genotyping results in the CT population; B: Genotyping results in the CC population. (DOCX 1242 KB)

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Li, Z., Luo, Q., Gan, Y. et al. Identification and validation of major and stable quantitative trait locus for falling number in common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Theor Appl Genet 137, 83 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-024-04588-y

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