Association Analysis of Candidate Quantitative Trait Loci for Resistance to Banded Leaf and Sheath Blight in Maize

Abstract

Association mapping can be used for mapping and identifying genes control complex maize traits including diseases. In this study, the genetic structure of 198 inbred lines association population was conducted using 64 SSR markers by association mapping analysis, as well as the association for QTLs contribute resistance to banded leaf and sheath blight (BLSB). It could be referred to 6 subgroups including Lan, PA, PB, BSSS, SPT and LRC, and distributed uniformly. According to two years BLSB resistance identification, most of the inbred lines were high susceptible, few of them were resistance. 26 loci distributed in Chromosome 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10 were discovered through the association mapping for resistance to BLSB using TASSEL, in which umc1202, umc2190 and umc1505 were significant related to the resistance (p<0.05), while umc214 was significant in two years association mapping for relative RHDS (relative height of disease spot). Compared with the previous mapping results, more than half of the 26 loci in our research were reported in previous disease-resistance studies while part of them were consistent in BLSB resistance-related traits. Among these consensus loci, dupssr06, umc2164 and umc2287 were associated with disease index, bnlg666 and umc1858 were associated with the EH (ear height), which were consistent with our previous results of linkage analysis for QTL controlling BLSB.