Abstract
BackgroundPre-harvest sprouting (PHS) in wheat can cause substantial reduction in grain yield and end-use quality. Grain color (GC) together with other components affect PHS resistance. Several quantitative trait loci (QTL) have been reported for PHS resistance, and two of them on chromosome 3AS (TaPHS1) and 4A have been cloned.MethodsTo determine genetic architecture of PHS and GC and genetic relationships of the two traits, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted by evaluating a panel of 185 U.S. elite breeding lines and cultivars for sprouting rates of wheat spikes and GC in both greenhouse and field experiments. The panel was genotyped using the wheat 9K and 90K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays.ResultsFour QTL for GC on four chromosomes and 12 QTL for PHS resistance on 10 chromosomes were identified in at least two experiments. QTL for PHS resistance showed varied effects under different environments, and those on chromosomes 3AS, 3AL, 3B, 4AL and 7A were the more frequently identified QTL. The common QTL for GC and PHS resistance were identified on the long arms of the chromosome 3A and 3D.ConclusionsWheat grain color is regulated by the three known genes on group 3 chromosomes and additional genes from other chromosomes. These grain color genes showed significant effects on PHS resistance in some environments. However, several other QTL that did not affect grain color also played a significant role on PHS resistance. Therefore, it is possible to breed PHS-resistant white wheat by pyramiding these non-color related QTL.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-016-3148-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) in wheat can cause substantial reduction in grain yield and end-use quality
Phenotypic variations in grain color and pre-harvest sprouting Twenty-nine accessions were scored as white wheats, and 156 accessions as red wheats
Statistical analysis and genome-wide association analysis Best linear unbiased predictions (BLUPs) were calculated for each accession evaluated in the greenhouse and field experiments using the 'lme4' package in R 3.2.2 [43] with year and location as random effects in the model
Summary
Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) in wheat can cause substantial reduction in grain yield and end-use quality. Several quantitative trait loci (QTL) have been reported for PHS resistance, and two of them on chromosome 3AS (TaPHS1) and 4A have been cloned. PHS can result in a significant reduction in wheat grain yield and grain end-use quality, a reduction in grain sale price [1, 2]. PHS resistance QTL have been reported on almost all wheat chromosomes. One major QTL mapped on chromosome 3AS, designated as TaPHS1, has been cloned [3, 4]. Another major QTL on chromosome 4AL has been
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
