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Identification of QTLs for wheat heading time across multiple-environments
Salma Benaouda1, Said Dadshani1, Patrice Koua1
1Institute for Crop Science and Resource Conservation, Chair of Plant Breeding, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University, Katzenburgweg 5, 53115, Bonn, Germany.
Summary
Winter wheat flowering time is influenced by climate, with temperature and photoperiod playing key roles. Genetic variations in heading date (HD) offer opportunities for wheat breeding to adapt to diverse environments.
Area of Science:
- Plant genetics
- Agricultural science
- Climate change adaptation
Background:
- Flowering date (heading date, HD) is a critical trait for winter wheat adaptation.
- Wheat breeders select for HD to optimize crop yield in target environments.
- Genetic variation for HD is extensive and underexplored for climate adaptation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the genetic basis of heading date in winter wheat.
- To identify genetic loci and environmental factors influencing flowering time.
- To understand genotype-by-environment interactions affecting HD.
Main Methods:
- Multi-location field trials across Germany over three years.
- Genome-wide association study (GWAS) for marker-trait associations with HD.
- Analysis of genotypic response to climatic variables (temperature, photoperiod, solar radiation).
Main Results:
- Identified two major quantitative trait loci (QTL): TaHd102 (5A) and TaHd044 (3A) influencing HD.
- TaHd044 accelerates flowering by 5.6 days, explaining 33% of genetic variance.
- Detected environment-specific associations: temperature in lower latitudes, photoperiod in higher latitudes.
- Discovered epistatic interactions involving TaHd098 (5A) with flowering time regulators.
Conclusions:
- Genetic factors for heading date in winter wheat show consistent responses across environments.
- Location-specific alleles for thermo-sensitivity (lower altitudes) and photoperiod (higher altitudes) are selected.
- Spring temperature is a dominant factor in accelerating heading, while solar radiation delays it.
- Significant genetic variation for HD provides potential for future wheat breeding and climate adaptation strategies.
