Abstract
A segregating population of 136 recombinant inbred lines derived from a cross between the durum wheat cv. “Simeto” and the T. dicoccum accession “Molise Colli” was grown in soil and evaluated for a number of shoot and root morphological traits. A total of 17 quantitative trait loci (QTL) were identified for shoot dry weight, number of culms, and plant height and for root dry weight, volume, length, surface area, and number of forks and tips, on chromosomes 1B, 2A, 3A, 4B, 5B, 6A, 6B, and 7B. LODs were 2.1 to 21.6, with percent of explained phenotypic variability between 0.07 and 52. Three QTL were mapped to chromosome 4B, one of which corresponds to the Rht-B1 locus and has a large impact on both shoot and root traits (LOD 21.6). Other QTL that have specific effects on root morphological traits were also identified. Moreover, meta-QTL analysis was performed to compare the QTL identified in the “Simeto” × “Molise Colli” segregating population with those described in previous studies in wheat, with three novel QTL defined. Due to the complexity of phenotyping for root traits, further studies will be helpful to validate these regions as targets for breeding programs for optimization of root function for field performance.
Highlights
The root system architecture defines the shape and spatial arrangements of the root structure within the soil [1]
Meta-quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis was performed to compare the QTL identified in the “Simeto” × “Molise Colli” segregating population with those described in previous studies in wheat, with three novel QTL defined
Due to the complexity of phenotyping for root traits, further studies will be helpful to validate these regions as targets for breeding programs for optimization of root function for field performance
Summary
The root system architecture defines the shape and spatial arrangements of the root structure within the soil [1]. The main challenge in studying root traits is the need for robust and high-throughput methods for phenotypic evaluation that can provide a proxy for field performance, because the measurement of root traits under open field conditions can be very difficult. This is the case for genetic studies that require analysis of large sets of samples. For this reason, various hydroponic culture techniques have been adopted, together with experimental systems with soilbased growth substrates that can offer better tools to predict plant behavior under field conditions, for example [2,3,4,5]. There is the limitation of the early growth stage of the plants analyzed, this represents a International Journal of Genomics decisive tool, as it allows the evaluation of large sets of genotypes, as in the case of segregating populations or association-mapping panels
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