Genetic variation of dynamic fiber elongation and developmental quantitative trait locus mapping of fiber length in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)
Jianjiang Ma,
Yanhui Geng,
Wenfeng Pei,
Man Wu,
Xingli Li,
Guoyuan Liu,
Dan Li,
Qifeng Ma,
XinShan Zang,
Shuxun Yu,
Jinfa Zhang,
Jiwen Yu
Affiliations
Jianjiang Ma
College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University
Yanhui Geng
State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Cotton Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Cotton Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture
Wenfeng Pei
State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Cotton Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Cotton Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture
Man Wu
State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Cotton Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Cotton Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture
Xingli Li
State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Cotton Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Cotton Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture
Guoyuan Liu
State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Cotton Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Cotton Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture
Dan Li
State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Cotton Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Cotton Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture
Qifeng Ma
State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Cotton Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Cotton Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture
XinShan Zang
State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Cotton Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Cotton Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture
Shuxun Yu
College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University
Jinfa Zhang
Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, New Mexico State University
Jiwen Yu
State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Cotton Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Cotton Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture
Abstract Background In upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), genotypes with the same mature fiber length (FL) might possess different genes and exhibit differential expression of genes related to fiber elongation at different fiber developmental stages. However, there is a lack of information on the genetic variation influencing fiber length and its quantitative trait loci (QTLs) during the fiber elongation stage. In this study, a subset of upland cotton accessions was selected based on a previous GWAS conducted in China and grown in multiple environments to determine the dynamic fiber length at 10, 15, 20, and 25 days post-anthesis (DPA) and maturity. The germplasm lines were genotyped with the Cotton 63 K Illumina single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array for GWAS. Results A total of 25, 38, 57, 89 and 88 SNPs showed significant correlations with fiber length at 10, 15, 20 and 25 DPA and maturity, respectively. In addition, 60 more promising SNPs were detected in at least two tests and two FL developmental time points, and 20 SNPs were located within the confidence intervals of QTLs identified in previous studies. The fastest fiber-length growth rates were obtained at 10 to 15 DPA in 69 upland cotton lines and at 15 to 20 DPA in 14 upland cotton accessions, and 10 SNPs showed significant correlations with the fiber-length growth rate. A combined transcriptome and qRT-PCR analysis revealed that two genes (D10G1008 and D13G2037) showed differential expression between two long-fiber genotypes and two short-fiber genotypes. Conclusions This study provides important new insights into the genetic basis of the time-dependent fiber-length trait and reveals candidate SNPs and genes for improving fiber length in upland cotton.