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Characterization of heterotic quantitative trait loci in maize by evaluation of near-isogenic lines and their crosses at two competition levels

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Abstract

In a previous study on a maize (Zea mays L.) population of recombinant inbreds derived from B73 × H99, we identified several quantitative trait loci (QTL) for agronomic traits with high dominance-additive ratio. Then, for four of these QTL, we developed families of near-isogenic lines (NILs) homozygous either for the QTL allele from B73 (BB) or from H99 (HH); for two of these QTL, the NILs’ families were produced in two different genetic backgrounds. The present study was conducted to: (1) characterize these QTL for agronomic traits and (2) verify whether their effects were influenced by the genetic background, inbreeding level and plant density (PD). The six NILs’ families were tested across 3 years and in three experiments at different inbreeding levels as NILs per se and their reciprocal crosses (Experiment 1), NILs crossed to related inbreds B73 and H99 (Experiment 2) and NILs crossed to four unrelated inbreds (Experiment 3). Experiment 2 was conducted at two PDs (4.5 and 9.0 plants m−2). Results of Experiments 1 and 2 confirmed previous findings as to QTL effects, with dominance–additive ratio superior to 1 for several traits; as a tendency, dominance effects were more pronounced in Experiment 1. The QTL effects were also confirmed in Experiment 3. The interactions involving QTL effects, families and PD were generally negligible, suggesting a certain stability of the QTL. Results emphasize the importance of dominance effects for these QTL, suggesting that they might deserve further studies, using the NILs’ families and their crosses as base materials.

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Acknowledgments

This study was conducted with the financial support of the Italian Ministry of University and Research, PRIN (Progetti di Ricerca di Interesse Nazionale), Project: “Sequence variability and heterosis in crop plants” (2007) and Project: “Towards the elucidation of the molecular bases of heterosis in crop species: characterization and fine mapping of QTL for heterosis in maize” (2010), and with the financial support of the University of Bologna, Grant RFO (2008-9).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agroenvironmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 44, 40127, Bologna, Italy

    Elisabetta Frascaroli, Maria Angela Canè & Pierangelo Landi

  2. Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Piazza Martiri della Libertà 33, 56127, Pisa, Italy

    Mario Enrico Pè & Giorgio Pea

Authors
  1. Elisabetta Frascaroli
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  2. Maria Angela Canè
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  3. Mario Enrico Pè
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  4. Giorgio Pea
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  5. Pierangelo Landi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elisabetta Frascaroli.

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Communicated by M. Bohn.

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Frascaroli, E., Canè, M.A., Pè, M.E. et al. Characterization of heterotic quantitative trait loci in maize by evaluation of near-isogenic lines and their crosses at two competition levels. Theor Appl Genet 124, 35–47 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-011-1685-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-011-1685-6

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