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Genetic Basis of Maize Resistance to Multiple Insect Pests: Integrated Genome-Wide Comparative Mapping and Candidate
A Badji1, D B Kwemoi2, L Machida3
1Department of Agricultural Production, Makerere Univesity, P.O. Box 7062 Kampala, Uganda.
Genes
|July 1, 2020
Summary
Developing insect resistance in maize is crucial for crop protection. This study identified genetic markers linked to resistance against fall armyworm (FAW) and maize weevil (MW), revealing potential for breeding combined insect resistance in maize.
Area of Science:
- Plant breeding and genetics
- Agricultural entomology
- Genomics
Background:
- Maize is susceptible to various insect pests in both field and storage conditions.
- Developing multiple insect resistance is a key breeding objective to mitigate crop losses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify genetic loci associated with resistance to fall armyworm (FAW) and maize weevil (MW) in tropical maize.
- To explore the genetic basis of combined insect resistance, including pleiotropic effects.
Main Methods:
- Association mapping using 341 tropical maize lines genotyped with SNP markers.
- Genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) for insect resistance.
- Bioassays for fall armyworm (FAW) and maize weevil (MW) resistance, and in silico analysis of candidate genes.
Main Results:
- Identified 62 QTNs associated with FAW and MW resistance across all 10 maize chromosomes.
- Discovered 16 QTNs influencing multiple traits, with six linked to resistance against both FAW and MW, suggesting pleiotropy.
- Prioritized 64 GWAS-based candidate genes (GbCGs) involved in plant defense and identified 107 network-based candidate genes (NbCGs).
Conclusions:
- The study provides a physical map of multiple insect resistance genomic regions (MIRGRs) in maize.
- The findings support the hypothesis of pleiotropic genetic control for combined insect resistance.
- This research can aid in developing maize varieties with enhanced, combined resistance to key insect pests.
