Abstract
The Chinese jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill., 2n = 2x = 24), one of the most popular fruit trees in Asia, is widely cultivated and utilized in China, where it is traditionally consumed as both a fresh and dried food resource. A high-density genetic map can provide the necessary framework for quantitative trait loci (QTL) analyses and map-based gene cloning and molecular breeding. In this study, we constructed a new high-density genetic linkage map via a genotyping-by-sequencing approach. For the consensus linkage map, a total of 3,792 markers spanning 2,167.5 cM were mapped onto 12 linkage groups, with an average marker interval distance of 0.358 cM. The genetic map anchored 301 Mb (85.7%) of scaffolds from the sequenced Z. jujuba “Junzao” genome. Based on this genetic map, 30 potential QTLs were detected, including 27 QTLs for leaf traits and 3 QTLs for needling length. This high-density genetic map and the identified QTLs for relevant agronomic traits lay the groundwork for functional genetic mapping, map-based cloning, and marker-assisted selection in jujube.
Highlights
Chinese jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill., 2n = 2x = 24) is a popular fruit tree in Asia
The Chinese jujube has become greatly differentiated during the long history of evolution (Liu, 2010)
Leaf traits can influence the fitness of trees through biochemical, physiological, morphological, and developmental mechanisms (Donovan et al, 2011)
Summary
The fruit crop has been widely cultivated across Northern China for 7,000 years (Qu and Wang, 1993; Liu and Wang, 2008), and nowadays there are more than 840 cultivars (Liu et al, 2014a) These cultivars are mostly landraces which have not been subjected to modern breeding. The wild jujube is a small shrub, typically possessing thorny branches and ovate-acute leaves with three conspicuous veins at the base and finely toothed margins (Gupta, 2004). They can withstand extreme arid conditions and produce reasonable yields.
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