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Quantitative trait loci for horticulturally important traits defining the Sikkim cucumber, Cucumis sativus var. sikkimensis

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Abstract

Key message

QTL mapping identified simply inherited genes and quantitative trait loci underlying morphologically characteristic traits of the Sikkim cucumber, which reveals their genetic basis during crop evolution. The data suggest the Sikkim cucumber as an ecotype of cultivated cucumber not worthy of formal taxonomic recognition.

Abstract

The Sikkim cucumber, Cucumis sativus var. sikkimensis, is featured with some morphological traits like black spine, brown fruit with fine and heavy netting, as well as large hollow in mature fruit. Despite its establishment as a botanical variety ~ 150 years ago, and its wide use as an important source of disease resistances in cucumber breeding, little is known about its taxonomic status and genetic basis of those characteristic traits. Here we reported QTL mapping with segregating populations derived from two Sikkim-type inbred lines, WI7088D and WI7120, and identification of 48 QTL underlying phenotypic variation for 18 horticulturally important traits. We found that the fruit spine and skin colors in the two populations were controlled by the previously cloned pleiotropic B (black spine) locus. The fruit netting in WI7088D and WI7120 was controlled by the well-known H (Heavy netting) and a novel Rs (Russet skin) locus, which was delimited to a 271-kb region on Chr5 and ~ 736-kb region on Chr1, respectively. A single major-effect QTL was detected for flowering time in each population (ft1.1 for WI7088D and ft6.2 for WI7120). Fifteen, six and five QTL were identified for fruit size, hollow size and flesh thickness variation in the two populations, respectively. No major structural changes were found between the Sikkim and cultivated cucumbers. Except for the rare allele at the Rs locus, there seem no private QTL/alleles identified from this study supporting the Sikkim cucumber as an ecotype of C. sativus, not worthy of formal taxonomic recognition.

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All data pertinent to the reported work have been provided in the manuscript or in the supplemental online materials.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Dr. Todd Wehner (North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC) for initial development of the RIL population used in this study and Dr. David Spooner (USDA-ARS, University of Wisconsin Madison, WI) for technical advice in Cucumis taxonomy. This research was supported by the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants under Award Numbers 2015-51181-24285 and 2017-67013-26195 from the US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (to Y.Weng). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Horticulture Department, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Yuhui Wang, Biao Jiang, Ronald Dymerski, Xuewen Xu & Yiqun Weng

  2. Vegetable Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China

    Biao Jiang

  3. School of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China

    Xuewen Xu

  4. USDA-ARS Vegetable Crops Research Unit, Madison, WI, 53705, USA

    Yiqun Weng

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  1. Yuhui Wang
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  2. Biao Jiang
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Contributions

Y.Wang conducted majority of the reported work. RD participated in data analysis. JB and XW participated in phenotypic data collection in different experiments. Y.Weng conceived and supervised the research and wrote the manuscript with Y.Wang.

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Correspondence to Yiqun Weng.

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Communicated by Sanwen Huang.

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Wang, Y., Jiang, B., Dymerski, R. et al. Quantitative trait loci for horticulturally important traits defining the Sikkim cucumber, Cucumis sativus var. sikkimensis. Theor Appl Genet 134, 229–247 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-020-03693-y

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