Genome-Wide Association Study Reveals the Genetic Basis of Kernel and Cob Moisture Changes in Maize at Physiological Maturity Stage
2022
Minyan Zhang | Chaoyang Xiangchen | Jiaquan Yan | Yujuan Chengxu | Hao Liu | Chaoying Zou | Guangtang Pan | Yaou Shen | Langlang Ma
Low moisture content (MC) and high dehydration rate (DR) at physiological maturity affect grain mechanical harvest, transport, and storage. In this study, we used an association panel composed of 241 maize inbred lines to analyze ear moisture changes at physiological maturity stage. A genome-wide association study revealed nine significant SNPs and 91 candidate genes. One SNP (SYN38588) was repeatedly detected for two traits, and 15 candidate genes were scanned in the linkage disequilibrium regions of this SNP. Of these, genes <i>Zm00001d020615</i> and <i>Zm00001d020623</i> were individually annotated as a polygalacturonase (PG) and a copper transporter 5.1 (COPT5.1), respectively. Candidate gene association analysis showed that three SNPs located in the exons of <i>Zm00001d020615</i> were significantly associated with the dehydration rate, and AATTAA was determined as the superior haplotype. All these findings suggested that <i>Zm00001d020615</i> was a key gene affecting moisture changes of maize at the physiological maturity stage. These results have demonstrated the genetic basis of ear moisture changes in maize and indicated a superior haplotype for cultivating maize varieties with low moisture content and high dehydration rates.
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