Abstract
Key messageQTL controlling flag leaf length, flag leaf width, flag leaf area and flag leaf angle were mapped in wheat.This study aimed to advance our understanding of the genetic mechanisms underlying morphological traits of the flag leaves of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). A recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from ND3331 and the Tibetan semi-wild wheat Zang1817 was used to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling flag leaf length (FLL), flag leaf width (FLW), flag leaf area (FLA), and flag leaf angle (FLANG). Using an available simple sequence repeat genetic linkage map, 23 putative QTLs for FLL, FLW, FLA, and FLANG were detected on chromosomes 1B, 2B, 3A, 3D, 4B, 5A, 6B, 7B, and 7D. Individual QTL explained 4.3–68.52% of the phenotypic variance in different environments. Four QTLs for FLL, two for FLW, four for FLA, and five for FLANG were detected in at least two environments. Positive alleles of 17 QTLs for flag leaf-related traits originated from ND3331 and 6 originated from Zang1817. QTLs with pleiotropic effects or multiple linked QTL were also identified on chromosomes 1B, 4B, and 5A; these are potential target regions for fine-mapping and marker-assisted selection in wheat breeding programs.
Highlights
Flag leaves of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), regarded in crop production as the “functional leaves”, are the main organs for photosynthesis, and contribute 45–58% of photosynthetic performance during the grain-filling stage (Duncan 1971; Khaliq et al 2008)
We found that flag leaf length (FLL), flag leaf width (FLW) and flag leaf area (FLA) were strongly positively correlated with spike length (SL), kernel number per spike (KN), and kernel weight per spike (KW), and negatively correlated with spike number per plant (SN)
We found that FLL, FLW, and FLA were strongly positively correlated with spike length, kernel number, and weight per spike, and negatively correlated with spike numbers per plant (Table 2)
Summary
Flag leaves of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), regarded in crop production as the “functional leaves”, are the main organs for photosynthesis, and contribute 45–58% of photosynthetic performance during the grain-filling stage (Duncan 1971; Khaliq et al 2008). Morphological traits of the flag leaves are one of the most important determinants of Communicated by Peter Langridge. The size of the flag leaf is estimated by flag leaf length (FLL), width (FLW), and area (FLA), and is positively correlated with the thousand-grain weight (TGW), panicle weight (PW), and other yield-related traits in cereals (Cui et al 2003; Wang et al 2010, 2011; Yue et al 2006). Flag leaf angle (FLANG) determines the amount of incident light that the leaf receives
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