One-third of the global population is affected by micronutrient deficiency, particularly folate. Although folate synthesis has been relatively well characterized, few folate-related genes in maize have been cloned, an...One-third of the global population is affected by micronutrient deficiency, particularly folate. Although folate synthesis has been relatively well characterized, few folate-related genes in maize have been cloned, and the molecular mechanism regulating folate synthesis in maize remains unclear. In this study,transcriptome and proteome analyses of three waxy maize inbred lines with high, medium, and low folate contents were performed to identify key genes controlling folate biosynthesis. Pairwise comparisons revealed 21 differentially expressed genes and 20 differentially expressed proteins potentially associated with folate biosynthesis in the three lines. Six key folate-associated genes, Zm Mocos2, Zm GGH,Zm ADCL2, Zm CBR1, Zm SHMT, and Zm Pur H, were identified. These genes encode enzymes that potentially function in folate biosynthesis. Functional validation of one of these genes, Zm ADCL2, using an EMS mutant(Mut9264) showed that a 4-base insertion in an exon increased the folate content of fresh maize kernels 1.37-fold that of the wild type. Zm ADCL2 was considered a potential target for generating maize lines with higher folate content. KEGG enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes and proteins showed that several pathways in addition to folate biosynthesis were likely indirectly involved in folate metabolism and content(e.g., glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism;purine metabolism;cysteine and methionine metabolism;alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism;glutathione metabolism;and pyruvate metabolism. The transcriptome and proteomic data generated in this study will help to clarify the mechanisms underlying folate accumulation and aid breeding efforts to biofortify maize with folate.展开更多
Seed maturation is a critical development transition and it largely affects the final yield and quality of crops.Abscisic acid(ABA)-activated sucrose-non-fermentation kinase subfamily 2(SnRK2s)constitute a well-known ...Seed maturation is a critical development transition and it largely affects the final yield and quality of crops.Abscisic acid(ABA)-activated sucrose-non-fermentation kinase subfamily 2(SnRK2s)constitute a well-known regulatory network that modulate seed maturation in Arabidopsis;however,the underlying genetic and regulatory mechanisms in cereal crops remain largely unknown.Here,we found that ABA levels exhibited two distinct peaks during kernel development in maize,corresponding to the lag and maturation phase,respectively.Integrated transcriptome and proteome profiling of kernels treated with exogenous ABA at the pre-maturation stage suggested that the second peak of ABA acts as a trigger for kernel maturation program.Knockout of ZmSnRK2s demonstrated that subclassⅢZmSnRK2s are required for kernel maturation in maize,and the loss-of-function of subclassⅢZmSnRK2s showed a disruption in kernel dehydration and dormancy.We identified a conserved ABA–SnRK2–b ZIP signaling pathway mediating this process in maize.Additionally,ZmSnRK2.10 overexpression accelerates kernel dehydration during maturity,achieving reduced kernel moisture content(KMC)at physiological maturity(PM).Overall,our findings establish ABA-activated SnRK2s as central regulators of kernel maturation in maize and provide valuable genetic resources for breeding maize varieties with low moisture content at harvest.展开更多
Carotenoids are the largest group of natural pigments responsible for the yellow,orange,and red colors in plant kernels,fruits,and leaves(Gupta and Hirschberg,2021).In plants,carotenoids are involved in manybiological...Carotenoids are the largest group of natural pigments responsible for the yellow,orange,and red colors in plant kernels,fruits,and leaves(Gupta and Hirschberg,2021).In plants,carotenoids are involved in manybiological processes,such as acting as accessory light-harvesting pigments in photosynthesis,participating in photoprotection,and serving as precursors for the hormones abscisic acid(ABA)and strigolactones(Ruiz-Sola and Rodriguez-Concepcion,2012).展开更多
The yield of maize(Zea mays L.)is highly influenced by nitrogen fertilization.This study investigated the impact of nitrogen fertilization on morphophysiological traits in maize(Zea mays L.)and developed algorithms to...The yield of maize(Zea mays L.)is highly influenced by nitrogen fertilization.This study investigated the impact of nitrogen fertilization on morphophysiological traits in maize(Zea mays L.)and developed algorithms to relate manual phenotyping and digital phenotyping of maize with leaf nitrogen and digital field image traits.The experiment included three hybrid maize varieties,V1(Hybrid 981),V2(BARI Hybrid maize-9),and V3(Hybrid P3396),which were evaluated across three nitrogen levels(N1=100 kg N ha^(−1),N2=200 kg N ha^(−1),N3=300 kg N ha^(−1))in a split-plot design with three replications.The results revealed that nitrogen levels(N),varieties(V),and their interactions(V×N)significantly influenced traits such as plant height(PH),leaf area index(LAI),normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI),canopy cover(CC),chlorophyll content(Chl a and Chl b),leaf nitrogen content(LNC),total dry matter(TDM),and grain yield.The hybrid P3396 with 300 kg N ha^(−1)(V3N3)achieved the highest grain yield of 14.45 t ha^(−1),which was statistically similar to that of Hybrid 981 and 300 kg N ha^(−1)(V1N3).Nitrogen significantly improved dry matter accumulation,leaf area,and physiological parameters,with maximum values recorded during flowering.The NDVI,CC,and SPAD were strongly correlated with LNC and TDM,highlighting their potential as indicators for nitrogen management.The digital imaging traits analysed via software effectively differentiated the nitrogen treatments,demonstrating their utility for precise nitrogen application.In conclusion,nitrogen fertilization at 300 kg N ha^(−1) optimized the growth and yield of hybrid maize,with Hybrid P3396 performing best.This study underscores the role of advanced phenotyping tools in improving nitrogen use efficiency and sustainable maize production.展开更多
Soil salinization poses a threat to maize production worldwide,but the genetic mechanism of salt tolerance in maize is not well understood.Therefore,identifying the genetic components underlying salt tolerance in maiz...Soil salinization poses a threat to maize production worldwide,but the genetic mechanism of salt tolerance in maize is not well understood.Therefore,identifying the genetic components underlying salt tolerance in maize is of great importance.In the current study,a teosinte-maize BC2F7 population was used to investigate the genetic basis of 21 salt tolerance-related traits.In total,125 QTLs were detected using a high-density genetic bin map,with one to five QTLs explaining 6.05–32.02%of the phenotypic variation for each trait.The total phenotypic variation explained(PVE)by all detected QTLs ranged from 6.84 to 63.88%for each trait.Of all 125 QTLs,only three were major QTLs distributed in two genomic regions on chromosome 6,which were involved in three salt tolerance-related traits.In addition,10 pairs of epistatic QTLs with additive effects were detected for eight traits,explaining 0.9 to 4.44%of the phenotypic variation.Furthermore,18 QTL hotspots affecting 3–7 traits were identified.In one hotspot(L5),a gene cluster consisting of four genes(ZmNSA1,SAG6,ZmCLCg,and ZmHKT1;2)was found,suggesting the involvement of multiple pleiotropic genes.Finally,two important candidate genes,Zm00001d002090 and Zm00001d002391,were found to be associated with salt tolerance-related traits by a combination of linkage and marker-trait association analyses.Zm00001d002090 encodes a calcium-dependent lipid-binding(CaLB domain)family protein,which may function as a Ca^(2+)sensor for transmitting the salt stress signal downstream,while Zm00001d002391 encodes a ubiquitin-specific protease belonging to the C19-related subfamily.Our findings provide valuable insights into the genetic basis of salt tolerance-related traits in maize and a theoretical foundation for breeders to develop enhanced salt-tolerant maize varieties.展开更多
Doubled haploid(DH)technology is an efficient method used in commercial maize breeding.Chromosome doubling is a vital step of DH technology;however,the underlying processes regulating chromosome doubling of haploid is...Doubled haploid(DH)technology is an efficient method used in commercial maize breeding.Chromosome doubling is a vital step of DH technology;however,the underlying processes regulating chromosome doubling of haploid is still not well understood,which is key to optimize the technology.In this study,the immature haploid embryos of the maize inbred line Zheng58 treated with amiprophos-methyl(APM)or colchicine were used to analyze transcriptomic and metabolomic changes,75 and 60 differential expressed metabolites(DEMs)were identified between control treatment,respectively.Most differentially expressed genes(DEGs)related to artificial chromosome doubling were down regulated;these were mainly involved in mitosis process.Both DEMs and DEGs co-expression analyses showed that,compared to controls,zeatin biosynthesis and cofactor and vitamin metabolism were significantly enriched in both APM and colchicine treatments.In a parallel experiment,exogenous vitamins including thiamine,nicotinic acid,vitamin B6,or trans-zeatin were added to colchicine treatment;there were synergistic effects between vitamins or zeatin and colchicine in haploid artificial chromosome doubling.These results provide novel insights in exploring the molecular responses to antimitotic reagents at both the transcriptomic and metabolomic levels.In addition,the application efficiency of haploid breeding will be greatly improved by the key factors for artificial chromosome doubling.展开更多
Maize plant architecture influences planting density and,in turn,grain yield.Most of the plant architecture-related traits can be described as organ size.We describe a miniature maize mutant,Tiny plant 4(Tip4),which e...Maize plant architecture influences planting density and,in turn,grain yield.Most of the plant architecture-related traits can be described as organ size.We describe a miniature maize mutant,Tiny plant 4(Tip4),which exhibits reduced size of multiple organs and exhibits a semi-dominant monofactorial inheritance characteristic.Positional cloning confirmed that a 4-bp deletion in the NAC TF with transmembrane motif 1-Like(NTL)gene ZmNTL2,denoted as ZmNTL2^(Δ),confers the Tip4 mutation.qRT-PCR showed that ZmNTL2 was expressed in all tested tissues.ZmNTL2 functions as a transcriptional activator and is located in both the nucleus and biomembranes.The mutation does not affect the mRNA abundance of ZmNTL2 locus,but it does result in the loss of transmembrane domain and confines the ZmNTL2^(Δ)protein to the nucleus.Knocking out ZmNTL2 has no effect on maize organ size development,indicating that the 4-bp deletion might be a gain-of-function mutation in organ size regulation.Combining transcriptome sequencing with cytokinin and auxin content determination suggests that the decreased organ size may be possibly mediated by changes in hormone homeostasis.展开更多
Genetic transformation has been an effective technology for improving the agronomic traits of maize.However,it is highly reliant on the use of embryonic callus(EC)and shows a serious genotype dependence.In this study,...Genetic transformation has been an effective technology for improving the agronomic traits of maize.However,it is highly reliant on the use of embryonic callus(EC)and shows a serious genotype dependence.In this study,we performed genomic sequencing for 80 core maize germplasms and constructed a high-density genomic variation map using our newly developed pipeline(MQ2Gpipe).Based on the induction rate of EC(REC),these inbred lines were categorized into three subpopulations.The low-REC germplasms displayed more abundant genetic diversity than the high-REC germplasms.By integrating a genome-wide selective signature screen and region-based association analysis,we revealed 95.23 Mb of selective regions and 43 REC-associated variants.These variants had phenotypic variance explained values ranging between 21.46 and 49.46%.In total,103 candidate genes were identified within the linkage disequilibrium regions of these REC-associated loci.These genes mainly participate in regulation of the cell cycle,regulation of cytokinesis,and other functions,among which MYB15 and EMB2745 were located within the previously reported QTL for EC induction.Numerous leaf area-associated variants with large effects were closely linked to several REC-related loci,implying a potential synergistic selection of REC and leaf size during modern maize breeding.展开更多
Internode number and length are the foundation to constitute plant height, ear height and the above-ground spatial structure of maize plant. In this study, segregating populations were constructed between EHel with ex...Internode number and length are the foundation to constitute plant height, ear height and the above-ground spatial structure of maize plant. In this study, segregating populations were constructed between EHel with extremely low ear height and B73. Through the SNP-based genotyping and phenotypic characterization, 13 QTL distributed on the chromosomes (Chrs) of Chr1, Chr2, Chr5-Chr8 were detected for four traits of internode no. above ear (INa), average internode length above ear (ILaa), internode no. below ear (INb), and average internode length below ear (ILab). Phenotypic variation explained (PVE) by a single QTL ranged from 6.82% (qILab2-2) to 12.99% (qILaa5). Zm00001d016823 within the physical region of qILaa5, the major QTL for ILaa with the largest PVE was determined as the candidate through the genomic annotation and sequence alignment between EHel and B73. Product of Zm00001d016823 was annotated as a WEB family protein homogenous to At1g75720. qRT-PCR assay showed that Zm00001d016823 highly expressed within the tissue of internode, exhibiting statistically higher expression levels among internodes of IN4 to IN7 in EHel than those in B73 (P Zm00001d016823 might provide novel insight into molecular mechanism beyond phytohormones controlling internode development in maize.展开更多
Grain water content(GWC)is a key determinant for mechanical harvesting of maize(Zea mays).In our previous research,we identified a quantitative trait locus,qGWC1,associated with GWC in maize.Here,we examined near-isog...Grain water content(GWC)is a key determinant for mechanical harvesting of maize(Zea mays).In our previous research,we identified a quantitative trait locus,qGWC1,associated with GWC in maize.Here,we examined near-isogenic lines(NILs)NILL and NILH that differed at the qGWC1 locus.Lower GWC in NILL was primarily attributed to reduced grain water weight(GWW)and smaller fresh grain size,rather than the accumulation of dry matter.The difference in GWC between the NILs became more pronounced approximately 35 d after pollination(DAP),arising from a faster dehydration rate in NILL.Through an integrated analysis of the transcriptome,proteome,and metabolome,coupled with an examination of hormones and their derivatives,we detected a marked decrease in JA,along with an increase in cytokinin,storage forms of IAA(IAA-Glu,IAA-ASP),and IAA precursor IPA in immature NILL kernels.During kernel development,genes associated with sucrose synthases,starch biosynthesis,and zein production in NILL,exhibited an initial up-regulation followed by a gradual down-regulation,compared to those in NILH.This discovery highlights the crucial role of phytohormone homeostasis and genes related to kernel development in balancing GWC and dry matter accumulation in maize kernels.展开更多
The increasing frequency and intensity of drought caused by climate change necessitate the implementation of effective ways to increase the ability of wheat to withstand drought, with humic acid being a promising appr...The increasing frequency and intensity of drought caused by climate change necessitate the implementation of effective ways to increase the ability of wheat to withstand drought, with humic acid being a promising approach. Therefore, a pot experiment was conducted to determine the efficacy of exogenous humic acid on wheat under water deficit stress via a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. The impacts of four growing conditions, i.e., well water (65% field capacity), water deficit stress (35% field capacity), soil application of humic acid (44 mg kg−1 soil) under water deficit stress and foliar feeding of humic acid (200 ppm) under water deficit stress, were investigated on two wheat varieties (BWMRI Gom 1 and BWMRI Gom 3). The results demonstrated that water deficit stress substantially decreased the studied morphological and physiological traits, yield components and yield, in both genotypes, with the exception of the proline content of flag leaves. Compared with soil application, foliar feeding of humic acid promoted the ability of wheat to overcome stress conditions better. In the present study, humic acid as a soil application increased the grain yield by 9.13% and 13.86% and the biological yield by 9.94% and 5.19%, whereas foliar treatment increased the grain output by 24.76% and 25.19% and the biological yield by 19.23% and 6.50% in BWMRI Gom 1 and BWMRI Gom 3, respectively, under water deficit stress. Therefore, exogenous foliar humic acid treatment was more effective than soil application in alleviating the effects of drought stress on wheat.展开更多
The flowering time is a key trait that determines adaptation,yield and quality of crops.Adlay,a traditional cereal crop,has developed a distinctive agricultural industry in Southwest China and Southeast Asian countrie...The flowering time is a key trait that determines adaptation,yield and quality of crops.Adlay,a traditional cereal crop,has developed a distinctive agricultural industry in Southwest China and Southeast Asian countries.However,the currently planted varieties are all semi-domesticated landraces with delayed flowering and excessive height.These defects limit yield improvement per unit area and mechanized harvesting.In this study,a major QTL associated with flowering time and plant height in adlay has been mapped and identified as Cl CCT,a gene having a conserved function and regulatory pathway for inhibiting flowering time and increasing plant height in gramineous crops.Among the six identified haplotypes of Cl CCT,the haplotype with 38-bp insertion in promoter region of Cl CCT has earlier flowering time and wider geographical distribution than other haplotypes.The insertion variation,which arises from the segmental duplication of Cl CCT,can inhibit the expression level of reporter gene and has been used in breeding for early maturity and dwarfing.These research results not only reinforce our understanding of the importance of CCT domain protein in the tropical crops adapting to high-latitude environment,but also provide a validated breeding target for the early maturity and dwarfing of adlay.展开更多
The maize mutant gene Vestigial glume 1(Vg1) has been fine-mapped to a narrow region by map-based cloning and the candidate gene for Vg1 spanned 19.5 kb. Here we report Vg1 genomic fosmid library construction and scre...The maize mutant gene Vestigial glume 1(Vg1) has been fine-mapped to a narrow region by map-based cloning and the candidate gene for Vg1 spanned 19.5 kb. Here we report Vg1 genomic fosmid library construction and screening. The fosmid library of Vg1 consisted of574,000 clones with an average insert size of 36.4 kb, representing 7.9-fold coverage of the maize genome. Fosmid stability assays indicated that clones were stable during propagation in the fosmid system. Using Vg1 candidate gene-specific primers, a positive clone was successfully identified. This discovery will pave the way for identifying the function of Vg1 in maize development.展开更多
Tassel branch number （TBN） is the principal component of maize tassel inflorescence architecture and is a typical quan- titative trait controlled by multiple genes. The main objective of this research was to detect ...Tassel branch number （TBN） is the principal component of maize tassel inflorescence architecture and is a typical quan- titative trait controlled by multiple genes. The main objective of this research was to detect quantitative trait loci （QTLs） for TBN. The maize inbred line SICAU1212 was used as the common parent to develop BC1S1 and recombinant inbred line （RIL） populations with inbred lines 3237 and B73, respectively. The two related populations consisted of 123 and 238 lines, respectively. Each population was grown and phenotyped for TBN in two environments. Eleven QTLs were detected in the BC1S1 population, located on chromosomes 2, 3, 5, and 7, accounted for 4.45-26.58% of the phenotypic variation. Two QTLs （qB11Jtbn2-1, qB12Ctbn2-1, qBJtbn2-1; q11JBtbn5-1, qB12Ctbn5-1, qBJtbn5-1） that accounted for more than 10% of the phenotypic variation were identified. Three QTLs located on chromosomes 2, 3 and 5, exhibited stable expres- sion in the two environments. Ten QTLs were detected in the RIL population, located on chromosomes 2, 3, 5, 8, and 10, accounted for 2.69-13.58% of the TBN variation. One QTL （qR14Dtbn2-2） explained 〉10% of the phenotypic variation. One common QTL （qB12Ctbn2-2, qR14Dtbn2-2, qRJtbn2-2） was detected between the two related populations. Three pairs of epistatic effects were identified between two loci with or without additive effects and accounted for 1.19-4.26% of the phenotypic variance. These results demonstrated that TBN variation was mainly caused by major effects, minor effects and slightly modified by epistatic effects. Thus, identification of QTL for TBN may help elucidate the genetic basis of TBN and also facilitate map-based cloning and marker-assisted selection （MAS） in maize breeding programs.展开更多
The authors evaluated 57 parental inbred lines of maize hybrids disseminated in Southwest China for drought tolerance under drought-stressed and well-watered conditions. Multiple regression analyses between drought to...The authors evaluated 57 parental inbred lines of maize hybrids disseminated in Southwest China for drought tolerance under drought-stressed and well-watered conditions. Multiple regression analyses between drought tolerant coefficients of the grain yield per plant and 15 morphological and physiological traits measured from a subset of 12 selected lines, identified traits 1 and 5, which were important for drought tolerance, at the seedling and reproductive stages respectively. Gene effects, combining abilities, and heritabilities of these traits were estimated using generation mean and diallel cross methods. Dominance effect was more important than additive effect for the plant height, anthesis-silking interval （ASI）, root weight, and the grain yield per plant, whereas, they were about equal for the leaf emergence rate. The variances of special combining ability （SCA） were about double that of the general combining ability （GCA） for plant height, ASI and grain yield per plant, although they were about equal for leaf emergence rate and root weight. Narrow sense heritabilities of the five traits for the reproductive stage were not high （12.8-29.6%）, although broad sense heritabilities for plant height, ASI, and grain yield were as high as 70-85%. A segregating population consisting of 183 F2 plants from the cross N87-1 （drought tolerant） × 9526 （susceptible）, was genotyped at 103 SSR loci and the F2：4 families were evaluated under two water regimes. Twelve quantitative trait loci （QTLs） （two for plant height, five for ASI, four for root biomass, and one for grain yield） were identified, most of which had overdominant gene action. Some chromosomal regions, such as those linked to markers umcl051 （bin 4.08）, umc2881 （bin 4.03）, and phi034 （bin 7.02）, had overlapping QTLs.展开更多
Two cycles of biparental mass selection （MS） and one cycle of half-sib-S3 family combining selection （HS-S3） for yield were carried out in 2 synthetic maize populations P4C0 and P5C0 synchronously. The genetic div...Two cycles of biparental mass selection （MS） and one cycle of half-sib-S3 family combining selection （HS-S3） for yield were carried out in 2 synthetic maize populations P4C0 and P5C0 synchronously. The genetic diversity of 8 maize populations, including both the basic populations and their developed populations, were evaluated by 30 SSR primers. On the 30 SSR loci, a total of 184 alleles had been detected in these populations. At each locus, the number of alleles varied from 2 to 14, with an average of 6.13. The number and ratio of polymorphic loci in both the basic populations were higher than those of their developed populations, respectively. There was nearly no difference after MS but decreased after HS-S3 in both the basic populations in the mean gene heterozygosity. The mean genetic distance changed slightly after MS but decreased in a bigger degree after HS-S3 in both the basic populations. Analyses on the distribution of genetic distances showed that the ranges of the genetic distance were wider after MS and most of the genetic distances in populations developed by HS-S3 were smaller than those in both the basic populations. The number of genotypes increased after MS but decreased after HS-S3 in both the basic populations. The genetic diversity of intra-population was much more than genetic diversity of inter-population in both the basic populations. All these indexes demonstrated that the genetic diversity of populations after MS was similar to their basic populations, and the genetic diversity was maintained during MS, whereas the genetic diversity of populations decreased after HS-S3. This result indicated that heterogeneity between some of the individuals in the developed populations increased after MS, whereas the populations become more homozygotic after HS-S3.展开更多
Better understanding of genotype-by-environment interaction （GEI） is expected to provide a solid foundation for genetic improvement of crop productivity especially under drought-prone environments. To elucidate the ...Better understanding of genotype-by-environment interaction （GEI） is expected to provide a solid foundation for genetic improvement of crop productivity especially under drought-prone environments. To elucidate the genetic basis of the plant and ear height, 2 F2：3 populations were derived from the crosses of Qi 319 × Huangzaosi （Q/H） and Ye 478 × Huangzaosi （Y/H） with 230 and 235 families, respectively, and their parents were evaluated under 3 diverse environments in Henan, Beijing, and Xinjiang, China during the year of 2007 and 2008, and all the lines were also evaluated under water stress environment. The mapping results showed that a total of 21 and 12 QTLs were identified for plant height in the Q/H and Y/H population, respectively, and 24 and 13 QTLs for ear height, respectively. About 56 and 73% of the QTLs for 2 traits did not present significant QTL-by-environment interaction （QE1） in the normal joint analyses for Q/H and Y/H population, respectively, and about 73% of the QTLs detected did not show significant QEI according to joint analyses for stress condition in Q/H. Most of the detected major QTLs exhibited high stability across different environments. Besides, several major QTLs were detected with large and consistent effect under normal condition （Chr. 6 and 7 in Q/H; Chr. 1, 3 and 9 in Y/H）, or across 2 water regimes （Chr. 1, 8 and 10 for in Q/H）. There were several constitutive QTLs （3 for Q/H and 1 for Y/H） with no or minor QTL-by-environment for the 2 populations. Finally, we found several genomic regions （Chr. 1, 10, etc.） to be co-located across the populations, which could provide useful reference for genetic improvement of these traits in maize breeding programs. Comparative genomic analysis revealed that 3 genes/genetic segments associated with plant height in rice were orthologous to these 3 identified genomic regions carrying the major QTLs for plant and ear height on Chr. 1, 6, and 8, respectively.展开更多
A field trial was conducted to investigate main morphological and physiological changes of different maize landraces to low-P stress at the stage of seedling. P-deficiency significantly decreased root volume, total le...A field trial was conducted to investigate main morphological and physiological changes of different maize landraces to low-P stress at the stage of seedling. P-deficiency significantly decreased root volume, total leaf area, and plant dry weight, but greatly increased density of root hairs and root top ratio. In addition, P-deficiency induced the significant enhancement of phosphorus utilization efficiency and the amount of proline, malondialdehye （MDA）, acid phosphatase （APase）, peroxidase （POD） and superoxide dismutase （SOD）, but the significant reduction of P uptake and soluable protein content. Since P-deficiency had smaller effects on the P-tolerant maize landraces DP-44, DP-32 and DP-33 as compared with P-sensitive landraces DP-29 and DP-24, it was demonstrated that differences of tolerance to P-deficiency existed among different maize landraces. The results based on the correlation analysis showed that the economic yield of maize landraces had relationships with their morphological and physiological characteristics under P-deficiency.展开更多
ZAG2 has been identified as a maternally expressed imprinted gene in maize endosperm.Our study revealed that paternally inherited ZAG2 alleles were imprinted in maize endosperm and embryo at 14 days after pollination(...ZAG2 has been identified as a maternally expressed imprinted gene in maize endosperm.Our study revealed that paternally inherited ZAG2 alleles were imprinted in maize endosperm and embryo at 14 days after pollination(DAP), and consistently imprinted in endosperm at 10, 12, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, and 28 DAP in reciprocal crosses between B73 and Mo17. ZAG2 alleles were also imprinted in reciprocal crosses between Zheng 58 and Chang7-2 and between Huang C and 178. ZAG2 alleles exhibited differential imprinting in hybrids of 178 × Huang C and B73 × Mo17, while in other hybrids ZAG2 alleles exhibited binary imprinting. The tissue-specific expression pattern of ZAG2 showed that ZAG2 was expressed at a high level in immature ears, suggesting that ZAG2 plays important roles in not only kernel but ear development.展开更多
Photoperiod sensitivity in maize plays an essential role in utilizing tropic and sub-tropic germplasm to temperate areas. This study aims to identify and map the QTLs responsible for the characteristics measuring phot...Photoperiod sensitivity in maize plays an essential role in utilizing tropic and sub-tropic germplasm to temperate areas. This study aims to identify and map the QTLs responsible for the characteristics measuring photoperiod sensitivity, days from planting to silking （SD）, photoperiod response coefficient of silking （PRC）, and anthesis-silking interval （ASI）. Using the population derived from Zheng 58, photoperiod-insensitive parent, and Ya 8701, photoperiod-sensitive parent, a linkage map was constructed with 93 single sequence repeat （SSR） markers. Phenotyping of 296 F2-3 families of the population in replicated-field test was conducted in both long-day （Beijing, China） and short-day （Sichuan, China） conditions. Ten QTLs were identified to be associated with the SD and ASI on chromosomes 3, 4, 6, 8, and 10 in the longday conditions, and 11 QTLs were detected to be related to the SD and ASI on chromosomes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10 in the short-day conditions, respectively. A QTL associated with the PRC as a major effect in the long-day conditions located in the same position as the QTL related to the SD and ASI in the map, and was on chromosome 10 linked with marker bnlg1655. Using these QTLs in the marker-assisted selection, the photoperiod sensibility could be reduced by selection of the alleles responsible for the SD, PRC, and ASI in breeding programs.展开更多
基金supported by Youth Scientific Research Foundation of Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences (QNJJ202208)the Collaborative Innovation Center of Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences (KJCX20240408)+1 种基金Major Scientific and Technological Achievements Cultivation Project of Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry SciencesNational Natural Science Foundation of China (32201815)。
文摘One-third of the global population is affected by micronutrient deficiency, particularly folate. Although folate synthesis has been relatively well characterized, few folate-related genes in maize have been cloned, and the molecular mechanism regulating folate synthesis in maize remains unclear. In this study,transcriptome and proteome analyses of three waxy maize inbred lines with high, medium, and low folate contents were performed to identify key genes controlling folate biosynthesis. Pairwise comparisons revealed 21 differentially expressed genes and 20 differentially expressed proteins potentially associated with folate biosynthesis in the three lines. Six key folate-associated genes, Zm Mocos2, Zm GGH,Zm ADCL2, Zm CBR1, Zm SHMT, and Zm Pur H, were identified. These genes encode enzymes that potentially function in folate biosynthesis. Functional validation of one of these genes, Zm ADCL2, using an EMS mutant(Mut9264) showed that a 4-base insertion in an exon increased the folate content of fresh maize kernels 1.37-fold that of the wild type. Zm ADCL2 was considered a potential target for generating maize lines with higher folate content. KEGG enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes and proteins showed that several pathways in addition to folate biosynthesis were likely indirectly involved in folate metabolism and content(e.g., glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism;purine metabolism;cysteine and methionine metabolism;alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism;glutathione metabolism;and pyruvate metabolism. The transcriptome and proteomic data generated in this study will help to clarify the mechanisms underlying folate accumulation and aid breeding efforts to biofortify maize with folate.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32201696)the Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan Province(23NSFSC4071)。
文摘Seed maturation is a critical development transition and it largely affects the final yield and quality of crops.Abscisic acid(ABA)-activated sucrose-non-fermentation kinase subfamily 2(SnRK2s)constitute a well-known regulatory network that modulate seed maturation in Arabidopsis;however,the underlying genetic and regulatory mechanisms in cereal crops remain largely unknown.Here,we found that ABA levels exhibited two distinct peaks during kernel development in maize,corresponding to the lag and maturation phase,respectively.Integrated transcriptome and proteome profiling of kernels treated with exogenous ABA at the pre-maturation stage suggested that the second peak of ABA acts as a trigger for kernel maturation program.Knockout of ZmSnRK2s demonstrated that subclassⅢZmSnRK2s are required for kernel maturation in maize,and the loss-of-function of subclassⅢZmSnRK2s showed a disruption in kernel dehydration and dormancy.We identified a conserved ABA–SnRK2–b ZIP signaling pathway mediating this process in maize.Additionally,ZmSnRK2.10 overexpression accelerates kernel dehydration during maturity,achieving reduced kernel moisture content(KMC)at physiological maturity(PM).Overall,our findings establish ABA-activated SnRK2s as central regulators of kernel maturation in maize and provide valuable genetic resources for breeding maize varieties with low moisture content at harvest.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2022YFD1200704-3)Crop Varietal Improvement and Insect Pests Control by Nuclear Radiation,the Sichuan Province Science and Technology Program(2022NSFSC0018,2021YFYZ0011,2020YJ0249,MZGC20230108)the Biological Breeding Program of State Key of Sichuan Agricultural University(SKL-ZY202234).
文摘Carotenoids are the largest group of natural pigments responsible for the yellow,orange,and red colors in plant kernels,fruits,and leaves(Gupta and Hirschberg,2021).In plants,carotenoids are involved in manybiological processes,such as acting as accessory light-harvesting pigments in photosynthesis,participating in photoprotection,and serving as precursors for the hormones abscisic acid(ABA)and strigolactones(Ruiz-Sola and Rodriguez-Concepcion,2012).
基金supported by the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Insti-tute,Gazipur-1701,Bangladesh.This research was also funded by Taif University,Saudi Arabia,Project No.(TU-DSPP-2024-07).
文摘The yield of maize(Zea mays L.)is highly influenced by nitrogen fertilization.This study investigated the impact of nitrogen fertilization on morphophysiological traits in maize(Zea mays L.)and developed algorithms to relate manual phenotyping and digital phenotyping of maize with leaf nitrogen and digital field image traits.The experiment included three hybrid maize varieties,V1(Hybrid 981),V2(BARI Hybrid maize-9),and V3(Hybrid P3396),which were evaluated across three nitrogen levels(N1=100 kg N ha^(−1),N2=200 kg N ha^(−1),N3=300 kg N ha^(−1))in a split-plot design with three replications.The results revealed that nitrogen levels(N),varieties(V),and their interactions(V×N)significantly influenced traits such as plant height(PH),leaf area index(LAI),normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI),canopy cover(CC),chlorophyll content(Chl a and Chl b),leaf nitrogen content(LNC),total dry matter(TDM),and grain yield.The hybrid P3396 with 300 kg N ha^(−1)(V3N3)achieved the highest grain yield of 14.45 t ha^(−1),which was statistically similar to that of Hybrid 981 and 300 kg N ha^(−1)(V1N3).Nitrogen significantly improved dry matter accumulation,leaf area,and physiological parameters,with maximum values recorded during flowering.The NDVI,CC,and SPAD were strongly correlated with LNC and TDM,highlighting their potential as indicators for nitrogen management.The digital imaging traits analysed via software effectively differentiated the nitrogen treatments,demonstrating their utility for precise nitrogen application.In conclusion,nitrogen fertilization at 300 kg N ha^(−1) optimized the growth and yield of hybrid maize,with Hybrid P3396 performing best.This study underscores the role of advanced phenotyping tools in improving nitrogen use efficiency and sustainable maize production.
基金supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32101730)the National Key R&D Program Projects,China(2021YFD1201005)+2 种基金the Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences(BAAFS)Excellent Scientist Training Program,China(JKZX202202)the BAAFS Science and Technology Innovation Capability Improvement Project,China(KJCX20230433)。
文摘Soil salinization poses a threat to maize production worldwide,but the genetic mechanism of salt tolerance in maize is not well understood.Therefore,identifying the genetic components underlying salt tolerance in maize is of great importance.In the current study,a teosinte-maize BC2F7 population was used to investigate the genetic basis of 21 salt tolerance-related traits.In total,125 QTLs were detected using a high-density genetic bin map,with one to five QTLs explaining 6.05–32.02%of the phenotypic variation for each trait.The total phenotypic variation explained(PVE)by all detected QTLs ranged from 6.84 to 63.88%for each trait.Of all 125 QTLs,only three were major QTLs distributed in two genomic regions on chromosome 6,which were involved in three salt tolerance-related traits.In addition,10 pairs of epistatic QTLs with additive effects were detected for eight traits,explaining 0.9 to 4.44%of the phenotypic variation.Furthermore,18 QTL hotspots affecting 3–7 traits were identified.In one hotspot(L5),a gene cluster consisting of four genes(ZmNSA1,SAG6,ZmCLCg,and ZmHKT1;2)was found,suggesting the involvement of multiple pleiotropic genes.Finally,two important candidate genes,Zm00001d002090 and Zm00001d002391,were found to be associated with salt tolerance-related traits by a combination of linkage and marker-trait association analyses.Zm00001d002090 encodes a calcium-dependent lipid-binding(CaLB domain)family protein,which may function as a Ca^(2+)sensor for transmitting the salt stress signal downstream,while Zm00001d002391 encodes a ubiquitin-specific protease belonging to the C19-related subfamily.Our findings provide valuable insights into the genetic basis of salt tolerance-related traits in maize and a theoretical foundation for breeders to develop enhanced salt-tolerant maize varieties.
基金supported by the Science and Technology Innovation 2030-Major Project (2023ZD0403001)China Agriculture Research System (CARS-02)+3 种基金Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences Excellent Scientist Training Program (JKZX202202)National Natural Science Foundation of China (32001554)Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences Science and Technology Innovation Capability Improvement Project (KJCX20230103)Chinese Universities Scientific Fund (2022TC141).
文摘Doubled haploid(DH)technology is an efficient method used in commercial maize breeding.Chromosome doubling is a vital step of DH technology;however,the underlying processes regulating chromosome doubling of haploid is still not well understood,which is key to optimize the technology.In this study,the immature haploid embryos of the maize inbred line Zheng58 treated with amiprophos-methyl(APM)or colchicine were used to analyze transcriptomic and metabolomic changes,75 and 60 differential expressed metabolites(DEMs)were identified between control treatment,respectively.Most differentially expressed genes(DEGs)related to artificial chromosome doubling were down regulated;these were mainly involved in mitosis process.Both DEMs and DEGs co-expression analyses showed that,compared to controls,zeatin biosynthesis and cofactor and vitamin metabolism were significantly enriched in both APM and colchicine treatments.In a parallel experiment,exogenous vitamins including thiamine,nicotinic acid,vitamin B6,or trans-zeatin were added to colchicine treatment;there were synergistic effects between vitamins or zeatin and colchicine in haploid artificial chromosome doubling.These results provide novel insights in exploring the molecular responses to antimitotic reagents at both the transcriptomic and metabolomic levels.In addition,the application efficiency of haploid breeding will be greatly improved by the key factors for artificial chromosome doubling.
基金supported by The National Key Research and Development Program of China(2022YFD1200704--3)Crop Varietal Improvement and Insect Pests Control by Nuclear Radiation,Platform for Mutation Breeding by Radiation of Sichuan(2021YFYZ0011)+1 种基金Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan Province(2022NSFSC1635)Applied Basic Research Programs of Sichuan Provincial Science and Technology Department(2020YJ0249)。
文摘Maize plant architecture influences planting density and,in turn,grain yield.Most of the plant architecture-related traits can be described as organ size.We describe a miniature maize mutant,Tiny plant 4(Tip4),which exhibits reduced size of multiple organs and exhibits a semi-dominant monofactorial inheritance characteristic.Positional cloning confirmed that a 4-bp deletion in the NAC TF with transmembrane motif 1-Like(NTL)gene ZmNTL2,denoted as ZmNTL2^(Δ),confers the Tip4 mutation.qRT-PCR showed that ZmNTL2 was expressed in all tested tissues.ZmNTL2 functions as a transcriptional activator and is located in both the nucleus and biomembranes.The mutation does not affect the mRNA abundance of ZmNTL2 locus,but it does result in the loss of transmembrane domain and confines the ZmNTL2^(Δ)protein to the nucleus.Knocking out ZmNTL2 has no effect on maize organ size development,indicating that the 4-bp deletion might be a gain-of-function mutation in organ size regulation.Combining transcriptome sequencing with cytokinin and auxin content determination suggests that the decreased organ size may be possibly mediated by changes in hormone homeostasis.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2021YFF1000303)the National Nature Science Foundation of China(32072073,32001500,and 32101777)the Sichuan Science and Technology Program,China(2021JDTD0004 and 2021YJ0476)。
文摘Genetic transformation has been an effective technology for improving the agronomic traits of maize.However,it is highly reliant on the use of embryonic callus(EC)and shows a serious genotype dependence.In this study,we performed genomic sequencing for 80 core maize germplasms and constructed a high-density genomic variation map using our newly developed pipeline(MQ2Gpipe).Based on the induction rate of EC(REC),these inbred lines were categorized into three subpopulations.The low-REC germplasms displayed more abundant genetic diversity than the high-REC germplasms.By integrating a genome-wide selective signature screen and region-based association analysis,we revealed 95.23 Mb of selective regions and 43 REC-associated variants.These variants had phenotypic variance explained values ranging between 21.46 and 49.46%.In total,103 candidate genes were identified within the linkage disequilibrium regions of these REC-associated loci.These genes mainly participate in regulation of the cell cycle,regulation of cytokinesis,and other functions,among which MYB15 and EMB2745 were located within the previously reported QTL for EC induction.Numerous leaf area-associated variants with large effects were closely linked to several REC-related loci,implying a potential synergistic selection of REC and leaf size during modern maize breeding.
文摘Internode number and length are the foundation to constitute plant height, ear height and the above-ground spatial structure of maize plant. In this study, segregating populations were constructed between EHel with extremely low ear height and B73. Through the SNP-based genotyping and phenotypic characterization, 13 QTL distributed on the chromosomes (Chrs) of Chr1, Chr2, Chr5-Chr8 were detected for four traits of internode no. above ear (INa), average internode length above ear (ILaa), internode no. below ear (INb), and average internode length below ear (ILab). Phenotypic variation explained (PVE) by a single QTL ranged from 6.82% (qILab2-2) to 12.99% (qILaa5). Zm00001d016823 within the physical region of qILaa5, the major QTL for ILaa with the largest PVE was determined as the candidate through the genomic annotation and sequence alignment between EHel and B73. Product of Zm00001d016823 was annotated as a WEB family protein homogenous to At1g75720. qRT-PCR assay showed that Zm00001d016823 highly expressed within the tissue of internode, exhibiting statistically higher expression levels among internodes of IN4 to IN7 in EHel than those in B73 (P Zm00001d016823 might provide novel insight into molecular mechanism beyond phytohormones controlling internode development in maize.
基金supported by the Jiangsu province Seed Industry Revitalization project[JBGS(2021)002]Beijing Germplasm Creation and Variety Selection and Breeding Joint Project[NY2023-180].
文摘Grain water content(GWC)is a key determinant for mechanical harvesting of maize(Zea mays).In our previous research,we identified a quantitative trait locus,qGWC1,associated with GWC in maize.Here,we examined near-isogenic lines(NILs)NILL and NILH that differed at the qGWC1 locus.Lower GWC in NILL was primarily attributed to reduced grain water weight(GWW)and smaller fresh grain size,rather than the accumulation of dry matter.The difference in GWC between the NILs became more pronounced approximately 35 d after pollination(DAP),arising from a faster dehydration rate in NILL.Through an integrated analysis of the transcriptome,proteome,and metabolome,coupled with an examination of hormones and their derivatives,we detected a marked decrease in JA,along with an increase in cytokinin,storage forms of IAA(IAA-Glu,IAA-ASP),and IAA precursor IPA in immature NILL kernels.During kernel development,genes associated with sucrose synthases,starch biosynthesis,and zein production in NILL,exhibited an initial up-regulation followed by a gradual down-regulation,compared to those in NILH.This discovery highlights the crucial role of phytohormone homeostasis and genes related to kernel development in balancing GWC and dry matter accumulation in maize kernels.
基金funded byDepartment of Crop Physiology and Ecology,HajeeMohammad Danesh Science and Technology University,Dinajpur 5200 Bangladesh and Taif University,Saudi Arabia,Project No.TU-DSPP-2024-07.
文摘The increasing frequency and intensity of drought caused by climate change necessitate the implementation of effective ways to increase the ability of wheat to withstand drought, with humic acid being a promising approach. Therefore, a pot experiment was conducted to determine the efficacy of exogenous humic acid on wheat under water deficit stress via a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. The impacts of four growing conditions, i.e., well water (65% field capacity), water deficit stress (35% field capacity), soil application of humic acid (44 mg kg−1 soil) under water deficit stress and foliar feeding of humic acid (200 ppm) under water deficit stress, were investigated on two wheat varieties (BWMRI Gom 1 and BWMRI Gom 3). The results demonstrated that water deficit stress substantially decreased the studied morphological and physiological traits, yield components and yield, in both genotypes, with the exception of the proline content of flag leaves. Compared with soil application, foliar feeding of humic acid promoted the ability of wheat to overcome stress conditions better. In the present study, humic acid as a soil application increased the grain yield by 9.13% and 13.86% and the biological yield by 9.94% and 5.19%, whereas foliar treatment increased the grain output by 24.76% and 25.19% and the biological yield by 19.23% and 6.50% in BWMRI Gom 1 and BWMRI Gom 3, respectively, under water deficit stress. Therefore, exogenous foliar humic acid treatment was more effective than soil application in alleviating the effects of drought stress on wheat.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32241044)Key project at central government level:The ability establishment of sustainable use for valuable Chinese medicine resources(2060302)+2 种基金China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Innovation Fund(CI2023E002)Sichuan Province Natural Science Foundation of China(2022NSFSC1688)Guizhou Province Science and Technology Support Program of China(Qiankehezhongyindi[2024]006-1 and Qiankehezhicheng[2022]Yiban 105)。
文摘The flowering time is a key trait that determines adaptation,yield and quality of crops.Adlay,a traditional cereal crop,has developed a distinctive agricultural industry in Southwest China and Southeast Asian countries.However,the currently planted varieties are all semi-domesticated landraces with delayed flowering and excessive height.These defects limit yield improvement per unit area and mechanized harvesting.In this study,a major QTL associated with flowering time and plant height in adlay has been mapped and identified as Cl CCT,a gene having a conserved function and regulatory pathway for inhibiting flowering time and increasing plant height in gramineous crops.Among the six identified haplotypes of Cl CCT,the haplotype with 38-bp insertion in promoter region of Cl CCT has earlier flowering time and wider geographical distribution than other haplotypes.The insertion variation,which arises from the segmental duplication of Cl CCT,can inhibit the expression level of reporter gene and has been used in breeding for early maturity and dwarfing.These research results not only reinforce our understanding of the importance of CCT domain protein in the tropical crops adapting to high-latitude environment,but also provide a validated breeding target for the early maturity and dwarfing of adlay.
基金supported by a Chongqing Postdoctoral Science Foundation funded project (Xm201344)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation funded project (2014M552303)Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (XDJK2013C023, 2362015xk05)
文摘The maize mutant gene Vestigial glume 1(Vg1) has been fine-mapped to a narrow region by map-based cloning and the candidate gene for Vg1 spanned 19.5 kb. Here we report Vg1 genomic fosmid library construction and screening. The fosmid library of Vg1 consisted of574,000 clones with an average insert size of 36.4 kb, representing 7.9-fold coverage of the maize genome. Fosmid stability assays indicated that clones were stable during propagation in the fosmid system. Using Vg1 candidate gene-specific primers, a positive clone was successfully identified. This discovery will pave the way for identifying the function of Vg1 in maize development.
基金the National Basic Research Program of China(the 973 Project,2014CB138203)the State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosytems,China(SKLGAE201509)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31101161)
文摘Tassel branch number （TBN） is the principal component of maize tassel inflorescence architecture and is a typical quan- titative trait controlled by multiple genes. The main objective of this research was to detect quantitative trait loci （QTLs） for TBN. The maize inbred line SICAU1212 was used as the common parent to develop BC1S1 and recombinant inbred line （RIL） populations with inbred lines 3237 and B73, respectively. The two related populations consisted of 123 and 238 lines, respectively. Each population was grown and phenotyped for TBN in two environments. Eleven QTLs were detected in the BC1S1 population, located on chromosomes 2, 3, 5, and 7, accounted for 4.45-26.58% of the phenotypic variation. Two QTLs （qB11Jtbn2-1, qB12Ctbn2-1, qBJtbn2-1; q11JBtbn5-1, qB12Ctbn5-1, qBJtbn5-1） that accounted for more than 10% of the phenotypic variation were identified. Three QTLs located on chromosomes 2, 3 and 5, exhibited stable expres- sion in the two environments. Ten QTLs were detected in the RIL population, located on chromosomes 2, 3, 5, 8, and 10, accounted for 2.69-13.58% of the TBN variation. One QTL （qR14Dtbn2-2） explained 〉10% of the phenotypic variation. One common QTL （qB12Ctbn2-2, qR14Dtbn2-2, qRJtbn2-2） was detected between the two related populations. Three pairs of epistatic effects were identified between two loci with or without additive effects and accounted for 1.19-4.26% of the phenotypic variance. These results demonstrated that TBN variation was mainly caused by major effects, minor effects and slightly modified by epistatic effects. Thus, identification of QTL for TBN may help elucidate the genetic basis of TBN and also facilitate map-based cloning and marker-assisted selection （MAS） in maize breeding programs.
基金supported by the Asian Development Bank(RETA 6055,Asian Maize Biotechnology Network),the Rockefeller Foundation(2004 FS 047)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(30571172)the Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in Universities,China(IRT0453).
文摘The authors evaluated 57 parental inbred lines of maize hybrids disseminated in Southwest China for drought tolerance under drought-stressed and well-watered conditions. Multiple regression analyses between drought tolerant coefficients of the grain yield per plant and 15 morphological and physiological traits measured from a subset of 12 selected lines, identified traits 1 and 5, which were important for drought tolerance, at the seedling and reproductive stages respectively. Gene effects, combining abilities, and heritabilities of these traits were estimated using generation mean and diallel cross methods. Dominance effect was more important than additive effect for the plant height, anthesis-silking interval （ASI）, root weight, and the grain yield per plant, whereas, they were about equal for the leaf emergence rate. The variances of special combining ability （SCA） were about double that of the general combining ability （GCA） for plant height, ASI and grain yield per plant, although they were about equal for leaf emergence rate and root weight. Narrow sense heritabilities of the five traits for the reproductive stage were not high （12.8-29.6%）, although broad sense heritabilities for plant height, ASI, and grain yield were as high as 70-85%. A segregating population consisting of 183 F2 plants from the cross N87-1 （drought tolerant） × 9526 （susceptible）, was genotyped at 103 SSR loci and the F2：4 families were evaluated under two water regimes. Twelve quantitative trait loci （QTLs） （two for plant height, five for ASI, four for root biomass, and one for grain yield） were identified, most of which had overdominant gene action. Some chromosomal regions, such as those linked to markers umcl051 （bin 4.08）, umc2881 （bin 4.03）, and phi034 （bin 7.02）, had overlapping QTLs.
基金the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program,2004BA525B04)the Program for Changjiang Scholar and Innovation Research Team in University of China (IRT0453)
文摘Two cycles of biparental mass selection （MS） and one cycle of half-sib-S3 family combining selection （HS-S3） for yield were carried out in 2 synthetic maize populations P4C0 and P5C0 synchronously. The genetic diversity of 8 maize populations, including both the basic populations and their developed populations, were evaluated by 30 SSR primers. On the 30 SSR loci, a total of 184 alleles had been detected in these populations. At each locus, the number of alleles varied from 2 to 14, with an average of 6.13. The number and ratio of polymorphic loci in both the basic populations were higher than those of their developed populations, respectively. There was nearly no difference after MS but decreased after HS-S3 in both the basic populations in the mean gene heterozygosity. The mean genetic distance changed slightly after MS but decreased in a bigger degree after HS-S3 in both the basic populations. Analyses on the distribution of genetic distances showed that the ranges of the genetic distance were wider after MS and most of the genetic distances in populations developed by HS-S3 were smaller than those in both the basic populations. The number of genotypes increased after MS but decreased after HS-S3 in both the basic populations. The genetic diversity of intra-population was much more than genetic diversity of inter-population in both the basic populations. All these indexes demonstrated that the genetic diversity of populations after MS was similar to their basic populations, and the genetic diversity was maintained during MS, whereas the genetic diversity of populations decreased after HS-S3. This result indicated that heterogeneity between some of the individuals in the developed populations increased after MS, whereas the populations become more homozygotic after HS-S3.
基金supported by grants provided by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China(2006CB101700,2009CB118401,2006BAD13B03)National Natural Science Foundation of China(30730063)
文摘Better understanding of genotype-by-environment interaction （GEI） is expected to provide a solid foundation for genetic improvement of crop productivity especially under drought-prone environments. To elucidate the genetic basis of the plant and ear height, 2 F2：3 populations were derived from the crosses of Qi 319 × Huangzaosi （Q/H） and Ye 478 × Huangzaosi （Y/H） with 230 and 235 families, respectively, and their parents were evaluated under 3 diverse environments in Henan, Beijing, and Xinjiang, China during the year of 2007 and 2008, and all the lines were also evaluated under water stress environment. The mapping results showed that a total of 21 and 12 QTLs were identified for plant height in the Q/H and Y/H population, respectively, and 24 and 13 QTLs for ear height, respectively. About 56 and 73% of the QTLs for 2 traits did not present significant QTL-by-environment interaction （QE1） in the normal joint analyses for Q/H and Y/H population, respectively, and about 73% of the QTLs detected did not show significant QEI according to joint analyses for stress condition in Q/H. Most of the detected major QTLs exhibited high stability across different environments. Besides, several major QTLs were detected with large and consistent effect under normal condition （Chr. 6 and 7 in Q/H; Chr. 1, 3 and 9 in Y/H）, or across 2 water regimes （Chr. 1, 8 and 10 for in Q/H）. There were several constitutive QTLs （3 for Q/H and 1 for Y/H） with no or minor QTL-by-environment for the 2 populations. Finally, we found several genomic regions （Chr. 1, 10, etc.） to be co-located across the populations, which could provide useful reference for genetic improvement of these traits in maize breeding programs. Comparative genomic analysis revealed that 3 genes/genetic segments associated with plant height in rice were orthologous to these 3 identified genomic regions carrying the major QTLs for plant and ear height on Chr. 1, 6, and 8, respectively.
文摘A field trial was conducted to investigate main morphological and physiological changes of different maize landraces to low-P stress at the stage of seedling. P-deficiency significantly decreased root volume, total leaf area, and plant dry weight, but greatly increased density of root hairs and root top ratio. In addition, P-deficiency induced the significant enhancement of phosphorus utilization efficiency and the amount of proline, malondialdehye （MDA）, acid phosphatase （APase）, peroxidase （POD） and superoxide dismutase （SOD）, but the significant reduction of P uptake and soluable protein content. Since P-deficiency had smaller effects on the P-tolerant maize landraces DP-44, DP-32 and DP-33 as compared with P-sensitive landraces DP-29 and DP-24, it was demonstrated that differences of tolerance to P-deficiency existed among different maize landraces. The results based on the correlation analysis showed that the economic yield of maize landraces had relationships with their morphological and physiological characteristics under P-deficiency.
基金supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (XDJK2013C023)the Chongqing Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Xm201344)+2 种基金the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2014M552303)the Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Southwest University (SWU112037)the Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education (2011182120011)
文摘ZAG2 has been identified as a maternally expressed imprinted gene in maize endosperm.Our study revealed that paternally inherited ZAG2 alleles were imprinted in maize endosperm and embryo at 14 days after pollination(DAP), and consistently imprinted in endosperm at 10, 12, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, and 28 DAP in reciprocal crosses between B73 and Mo17. ZAG2 alleles were also imprinted in reciprocal crosses between Zheng 58 and Chang7-2 and between Huang C and 178. ZAG2 alleles exhibited differential imprinting in hybrids of 178 × Huang C and B73 × Mo17, while in other hybrids ZAG2 alleles exhibited binary imprinting. The tissue-specific expression pattern of ZAG2 showed that ZAG2 was expressed at a high level in immature ears, suggesting that ZAG2 plays important roles in not only kernel but ear development.
基金supported forthis work by the program for Changjiang Scholars andInnovative Research Team in University of China(IRT0453)support was provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(30571173)
文摘Photoperiod sensitivity in maize plays an essential role in utilizing tropic and sub-tropic germplasm to temperate areas. This study aims to identify and map the QTLs responsible for the characteristics measuring photoperiod sensitivity, days from planting to silking （SD）, photoperiod response coefficient of silking （PRC）, and anthesis-silking interval （ASI）. Using the population derived from Zheng 58, photoperiod-insensitive parent, and Ya 8701, photoperiod-sensitive parent, a linkage map was constructed with 93 single sequence repeat （SSR） markers. Phenotyping of 296 F2-3 families of the population in replicated-field test was conducted in both long-day （Beijing, China） and short-day （Sichuan, China） conditions. Ten QTLs were identified to be associated with the SD and ASI on chromosomes 3, 4, 6, 8, and 10 in the longday conditions, and 11 QTLs were detected to be related to the SD and ASI on chromosomes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10 in the short-day conditions, respectively. A QTL associated with the PRC as a major effect in the long-day conditions located in the same position as the QTL related to the SD and ASI in the map, and was on chromosome 10 linked with marker bnlg1655. Using these QTLs in the marker-assisted selection, the photoperiod sensibility could be reduced by selection of the alleles responsible for the SD, PRC, and ASI in breeding programs.
