Abstract
Most agronomic traits in plants are quantitatively inherited. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) are chromosome regions associated with a particular phenotypic trait. QTL mapping is used to gain insight into the genetic architecture of complex quantitative traits in plants. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) has become a routine strategy to understand the genetic basis of quantitative traits. QTL mapping and GWAS study requires genotypic and phenotypic data that have been scored across a large number of individuals within a population. Utilization of statistical methods is a crucial step for identifying QTLs or causal genes associated with traits to explain the genetic basis of complex traits. In this chapter, we review current advances and strategies in the QTL mapping such as the creation of various populations, application of different types of DNA markers, collection of phenotypic data, and selection of appropriate statistical software to ensure the execution of association mapping. Association studies between DNA regions and traits can provide an optimistic assessment of the prospects of marker-assisted selection (MAS) employed in plant breeding programs. Candidate genes associated with complex traits can be discovered and cloned after validation of QTLs through the functional study by gene editing or the combination of QTL mapping with RNA-seq.KeywordsGenetic linkage mapGenome-wide association studyLinkage disequilibriumMapping populationMolecular markerQTL analysis
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