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Detection and verification of quantitative trait loci for resistance to Fusarium ear rot in maize

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Abstract

Fusarium ear rot caused by Fusarium verticillioides is a prevalent disease in maize which can severely reduce grain yields and quality. Identification of stable quantitative trait loci (QTL) for resistance to Fusarium ear rot is a basic prerequisite for understanding the genetic mechanism of resistance and for the use of marker-assisted selection. In this study, two hundred and ten F 2:3 families were developed from a cross between resistant inbred line BT-1 and susceptible inbred line Xi502, and were genotyped with 178 simple sequence repeat markers. The resistance of each line was evaluated in two environments by artificial inoculation using the nail-punch method. The resistance QTL were detected using the composite interval mapping method. Three QTL were detected on chromosomes 4, 5 and 10. Of them, the QTL on chromosome 4 (bin 4.05/06) had the largest resistance to Fusarium ear rot, and could explain 17.95 % of the phenotypic variation. For further verification of the QTL effect, we developed near-isogenic lines (NILs) carrying the QTL region on chromosome 4 using parental line Xi502 as the recurrent parent. In the NIL background, this QTL can increase the resistance by 33.7–35.2 % if the resistance region is homozygous, and by 17.8–26.5 % if the resistance region contains the heterozygous allele. The stable and significant resistance effect of the QTL on chromosome 4 lays the foundation for further marker-assisted selection and map-based cloning in maize.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the National Project “973’’ of China (2009CB118402). The authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Wenxuan Liu for his critical reading of the manuscript and K. Ann Bybee-Finley for her grammatical revision.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China

    Jiafa Chen, Junqiang Ding, Huimin Li, Zhimin Li, Xiaodong Sun, Jingjing Li, Xiaodong Dai, Huafang Dong, Weibin Song & Wei Chen

  2. College of Life Sciences, Henan Agricultural University, Wenhua Road, Jinshui, Zhengzhou, 450002, China

    Ruixia Wang, Zongliang Xia & Jianyu Wu

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  1. Jiafa Chen
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  2. Junqiang Ding
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  3. Huimin Li
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  4. Zhimin Li
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  5. Xiaodong Sun
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  6. Jingjing Li
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  7. Ruixia Wang
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  9. Huafang Dong
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  11. Wei Chen
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  12. Zongliang Xia
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  13. Jianyu Wu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jianyu Wu.

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Jiafa Chen and Junqiang Ding contributed equally to this paper.

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Chen, J., Ding, J., Li, H. et al. Detection and verification of quantitative trait loci for resistance to Fusarium ear rot in maize. Mol Breeding 30, 1649–1656 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11032-012-9748-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11032-012-9748-1

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