The Identification of a Yield-Related Gene Controlling Multiple Traits Using GWAS in Sorghum (<i>Sorghum bicolor</i> L.)
Yizhong Zhang,
Xinqi Fan,
Du Liang,
Qi Guo,
Xiaojuan Zhang,
Mengen Nie,
Chunhong Li,
Shan Meng,
Xianggui Zhang,
Peng Xu,
Wenqi Guo,
Huiyan Wang,
Qingshan Liu,
Yuxiang Wu
Affiliations
Yizhong Zhang
College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China
Xinqi Fan
Sorghum Research Institute, Shanxi Key Laboratory of Sorghum Genetic and Germplasm Innovation, Shanxi Agricultural University, Yuci 030600, China
Du Liang
Sorghum Research Institute, Shanxi Key Laboratory of Sorghum Genetic and Germplasm Innovation, Shanxi Agricultural University, Yuci 030600, China
Qi Guo
Sorghum Research Institute, Shanxi Key Laboratory of Sorghum Genetic and Germplasm Innovation, Shanxi Agricultural University, Yuci 030600, China
Xiaojuan Zhang
Sorghum Research Institute, Shanxi Key Laboratory of Sorghum Genetic and Germplasm Innovation, Shanxi Agricultural University, Yuci 030600, China
Mengen Nie
Sorghum Research Institute, Shanxi Key Laboratory of Sorghum Genetic and Germplasm Innovation, Shanxi Agricultural University, Yuci 030600, China
Chunhong Li
Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
Shan Meng
Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
Xianggui Zhang
Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
Peng Xu
Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
Wenqi Guo
Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
Huiyan Wang
College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China
Qingshan Liu
Shanxi Key Laboratory of Minor Crops Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, State Key Laboratory of Sustainable Dryland Agriculture (In Preparation), Shanxi Agricultural University, Taiyuan 030031, China
Yuxiang Wu
College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China
Sorghum bicolor (L.) is one of the oldest crops cultivated by human beings which has been used in food and wine making. To understand the genetic diversity of sorghum breeding resources and further guide molecular-marker-assisted breeding, six yield-related traits were analyzed for 214 sorghum germplasm from all over the world, and 2,811,016 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) markers were produced by resequencing these germplasms. After controlling Q and K, QTLs were found to be related to the traits using three algorisms. Interestingly, an important QTL was found which may affect multiple traits in this study. It was the most likely candidate gene for the gene SORBI_3008G116500, which was a homolog of Arabidopsis thaliana gene-VIP5 found by analyzing the annotation of the gene in the LD block. The haplotype analysis showed that the SORBI_3008G116500hap3 was the elite haplotype, and it only existed in Chinese germplasms. The traits were proven to be more associated with the SNPs of the SORBI_3008G116500 promoter through gene association studies. Overall, the QTLs and the genes identified in this study would benefit molecular-assisted yield breeding in sorghum.
