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Molecular characterization of a novel vernalization allele Vrn-B1d and its effect on heading time in Chinese wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) landrace Hongchunmai

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Abstract

Flowering time of wheat cultivars contributes greatly to the adaptability to environmental conditions and it is largely controlled by vernalization genes. In this study, 262 Chinese mini-core wheat cultivars were used to identify the allelic variation at VRN-B1 locus. A novel dominant allele Vrn-B1d was found in Chinese spring wheat landrace cultivar Hongchunmai. This allele contained several genetic divergence within the first intron comparing to the recessive allele vrn-B1, including one large 6850-bp deletion (670–7519 bp), one small 187-bp deletion (7851–8037 bp), one unique SNP (T to C, 7845 bp), and one 4-bp mutation (TTTT to ACAA, 7847–7850 bp). Meanwhile, it was also different from the three known dominant alleles at VRN-B1 locus. Two pairs of primers were designed to identify the novel allele Vrn-B1d and other four known alleles of VRN-B1. A multiplex PCR was established to discriminate all five alleles simultaneously. The greenhouse experiment with high temperature (non-vernalizing condition) and long light showed that F2 plants containing Vrn-B1d allele headed significantly earlier than those with recessive vrn-B1 allele, suggesting that Vrn-B1d is a dominant allele conferring the spring growth habit. This study provides a useful germplasm and molecular markers for wheat breeding.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Prof. Xianchun Xia for kindly reviewing this manuscript.

Funding

This study was funded by the 973 projects (2014CB138102), Research and Development of Science and Technology in Shaanxi Province (2014KCT-25), National Natural Science Foundation of China (30971770 and 31671693), and a grant of Northwest A&F University for ZY Tang.

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  1. Bo Zhang and Xianguo Wang contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Agronomy, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China

    Bo Zhang, Xianguo Wang, Xiaolong Wang, Li Ma, Zhonghua Wang & Xiaoke Zhang

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  1. Bo Zhang
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  2. Xianguo Wang
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  3. Xiaolong Wang
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  4. Li Ma
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  5. Zhonghua Wang
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  6. Xiaoke Zhang
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Correspondence to Xiaoke Zhang.

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Zhang, B., Wang, X., Wang, X. et al. Molecular characterization of a novel vernalization allele Vrn-B1d and its effect on heading time in Chinese wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) landrace Hongchunmai. Mol Breeding 38, 127 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11032-018-0870-6

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