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QTL mapping of root traits in phosphorus-deficient soils reveals important genomic regions for improving NDVI and grain yield in barley

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Abstract

Key message

Major QTLs for root rhizosheath size are not correlated with grain yield or yield response to phosphorus. Important QTLs were found to improve phosphorus efficiency.

Abstract

Root traits are important for phosphorus (P) acquisition, but they are often difficult to characterize and their breeding values are seldom assessed under field conditions. This has shed doubts on using seedling-based criteria of root traits to select and breed for P efficiency. Eight root traits were assessed under controlled conditions in a barley doubled-haploid population in soils differing in P levels. The population was also phenotyped for grain yield, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), grain P uptake and P utilization efficiency at maturity (PutEGY) under field conditions. Several quantitative traits loci (QTLs) from the root screening and the field trials were co-incident. QTLs for root rhizosheath size and root diameter explained the highest phenotypic variation in comparison to QTLs for other root traits. Shared QTLs were found between root diameter and grain yield, and total root length and PutEGY. A common major QTL for rhizosheath size and NDVI was mapped to the HvMATE gene marker on chromosome 4H. Collocations between major QTLs for NDVI and grain yield were detected on chromosomes 6H and 7H. When results from BIP and MET were combined, QTLs detected for grain yield were also those QTLs found for NDVI. QTLs qGY5H, qGY6H and qGY7Hb on 7H were robust QTLs in improving P efficiency. A selection of multiple loci may be needed to optimize the breeding outcomes due to the QTL x Environment interaction. We suggest that rhizosheath size alone is not a reliable trait to predict P efficiency or grain yield.

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Abbreviations

BIP:

QTL mapping in biparental populations

ICIM-ADD:

Inclusive composite interval mapping with additive effects

ICIM-EPI:

Inclusive composite interval mapping with epistatic effect

L:

Leucine

LOD:

Logarithm of odds ratio

MET:

QTL by environment interaction in biparental populations

NDVI:

Normalized difference vegetation index

Ĥ 2 :

Heritability

P:

Phosphorus

Pi:

Phosphate

P0:

Additional P fertilizer at 0 kg P/ha

P30:

Additional P fertilizer at 30 kg P/ha

PutEGY :

Phosphorus utilization efficiency: kg grain yield per kg P taken up by grain at harvest

QTL:

Quantitative trait locus

RB:

Root branching

RD:

Root diameter

RS:

Root rhizosheath size

R:S:

Root: Shoot ratio based on dried biomass

SNP:

Single nucleotide polymorphism

V:

Valine

ZGS:

Zadoks growth stage

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Acknowledgements

The Grains Research and Development Corporation, Australia (UA00115) supported this work. The authors sincerely thank Professor Jason Eglinton and Mr. Stewart Coventry for providing the Commander x Fleet population. The technical support from Mr. Willie Shoobridge and Mr. Andrew Ware is gratefully acknowledged. We are grateful to Dr. Julian Taylor’s assistance with the design of the field experiments and analysis of some of the data. We sincerely thank the editor and anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments, which shaped our work for publication.

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  1. School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, 5064, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Xue Gong & Glenn McDonald

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  1. Xue Gong
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Correspondence to Xue Gong.

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The experiments comply with the current laws of Australia in which they were performed.

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Communicated by Gary Muehlbauer.

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Gong, X., McDonald, G. QTL mapping of root traits in phosphorus-deficient soils reveals important genomic regions for improving NDVI and grain yield in barley. Theor Appl Genet 130, 1885–1902 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-017-2931-3

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