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Mapping of a spontaneous mutation for early flowering time in maize highlights contrasting allelic series at two-linked QTL on chromosome 8

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Abstract

Only a few mutations affecting flowering time have been detected in maize. We analyzed a spontaneous early mutation, vgt-f7p, which appeared during production of the inbred line F7. This mutation shortens the time from planting to flowering by about 100 growing degree days (GDD), and reduces the number of nodes. It therefore seems to affect the timing of meristem differentiation from a vegetative to a reproductive state. It was mapped to a 6 cM confidence interval on chromosome 8, using a QTL mapping approach. QTL analysis of a mapping population generated by crossing the mutant F7 line (F7p) and the Gaspé flint population showed that vgt-f7p is probably allelic to vgt1, a QTL described in previous studies, and affects earliness more strongly than the Gaspé allele at vgt1. Global analysis of the QTL in the region suggested that there may be two consensus QTL, vgt1 and vgt2. These two QTL have contrasting allelic effects: rare alleles conferring extremely early flowering at vgt1 vs. greater diversity and milder effects at locus vgt2. Finally, detailed syntenic analysis showed that the vgt1 region displays a highly conserved duplicated region on chromosome 6, which also plays an important role in maize flowering time variation. The cloning of vgt1 should, therefore, also facilitate the analysis of the molecular basis of variation due to this second region.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Maurice Pollacsek and Jacques Bordes, from INRA Clermont-Ferrand for providing the F7p mutant for this study. We also thank Laurence Moreau and Guylaine Blanc for providing data on QTL effects 7,8 and 9, and Alain Murigneux and Jean-Pierre Martinant (Biogemma) for helpful discussions and advice. We are grateful to Matthieu Falque and Laurent Décousset for the RFLP mapping results presented in Fig. 4. We would also like to thank Philippe Jamin, Daniel Jolivot, Denis Coubriche for expert assistance with field experimentation and Pascal Bertin for help in designing field experiments. Thanks are also due to Fabrice Dumas, Céline Ridel and Delphine Madur for expert assistance with marker analyses and to Marielle Merlino for helpful training in SSR analyses. This study was supported by the French genomics initiative “Genoplante”.

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  1. UMR de génétique végétale, 91190, Gif-sur-Yvette, France

    Fabien Chardon, Delphine Hourcade, Valérie Combes & Alain Charcosset

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  1. Fabien Chardon
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  2. Delphine Hourcade
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  3. Valérie Combes
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  4. Alain Charcosset
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Correspondence to Alain Charcosset.

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Communicated by D. A. Hoisington

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Chardon, F., Hourcade, D., Combes, V. et al. Mapping of a spontaneous mutation for early flowering time in maize highlights contrasting allelic series at two-linked QTL on chromosome 8. Theor Appl Genet 112, 1–11 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-005-0050-z

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