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QTL identification and epistatic effect analysis of seed size- and weight-related traits in Zea mays L

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Abstract

Seed size and weight are two seed physical traits showing high correlation to seed quality and grain yield. Here, we employed a maize F2:3 population developed from a cross between inbred line 220 (herein named L220, small seed) and PH4CV (large seed) to identify loci that control the seed size traits of kernel length (KL), kernel weight (KW), kernel thickness (KT), projected area (PA), and kernel volume (KV) and the seed weight trait of hundred-kernel weight (HKW). A total of 20 QTL were identified with 2–5 for a trait to explain 3.97–13.77% phenotypic variances. Among them, 15 QTL were colocated within the following six chromosomal regions: chromosome 1 (Chr. 1), 195.2–195.8 Mb; Chr. 2, 7.6–10.6 Mb; Chr. 3, 8.9–9.6 Mb; Chr. 4, 188.3–193.2 Mb; Chr. 8, 18.8–24.4 Mb; and Chr. 9, 13.9–18.3 Mb. After collecting 1341 QTL related to seed physical traits from this work and previous publications, meta-QTL analysis revealed 8 mQTL, with 6 located in the abovementioned regions, suggesting high consistency of QTL localization across populations. Additionally, 10 pairs of epistatically interacting loci were identified for the 6 seed physical traits. Six QTL were found to be located within these interacting loci. Taken together, these results provide a foundation for further QTL fine mapping of the 8 mQTL and for the molecular-assisted breeding of maize with large seed size and weight.

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Abbreviations

Chr:

Chromosome

KL:

Kernel length

KW:

Kernel width

KT:

Kernel thickness

PA:

Projected area

KV:

Kernel volume

HKW:

Hundred-kernel weight

TL:

Total length

RL:

Root length

SL:

Shoot length

QTL:

Quantitative trait locus

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Funding

The financial support was received from National Key R&D Program of China (2017YFD0102001-3, 2018YFD0100900-3), National Natural Science Foundation of China (31701437, 31771891), and the China Agriculture Research System (CARS-02-10).

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Author notes

  1. Li Li and Xuhui Li contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Seed Science and Technology, Beijing Innovation Center for Seed Technology (MOA), Beijing Key Laboratory for Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China

    Li Li, Xuhui Li, Lulu Li, Riliang Gu & Jianhua Wang

  2. Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68583, USA

    James Schnable

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  1. Li Li
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  2. Xuhui Li
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  3. Lulu Li
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  4. James Schnable
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  5. Riliang Gu
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  6. Jianhua Wang
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Contributions

Li Li, R. Gu, and J. Wang designed the study. X. Li and Lulu Li performed the genotypic and phenotypic analysis, respectively. Li Li drafted the manuscript with the help of J. Schnable. R. Gu revised the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Riliang Gu or Jianhua Wang.

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Li, L., Li, X., Li, L. et al. QTL identification and epistatic effect analysis of seed size- and weight-related traits in Zea mays L. Mol Breeding 39, 67 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11032-019-0981-8

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