Dissection of Superior Alleles for Yield-Related Traits and Their Distribution in Important Cultivars of Wheat by Association Mapping

Uncovering the genetic basis of yield-related traits is important for molecular improvement of wheat cultivars. In this study, a genome-wide association study was conducted using the wheat 55K genotyping assay and a diverse panel of 384 wheat genotypes. The accessions used included 18 founder parents and 15 widely grown cultivars with annual maximum acreages of over 667,000 ha, and the remaining materials were elite cultivars and breeding lines from several major wheat ecological areas of China. Field trials were conducted in five major wheat ecological regions of China over three consecutive years. A total of 460 significant loci were detected for eight yield-related traits. Forty-five superior alleles distributed over 31 loci for which differences in phenotypic values grouped by single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) reached significant levels (P < 0.05) in nine or more environments, were detected; some of these loci were previously reported. Eleven of the 31 superior allele loci on chromosomes 4A, 5A, 3B, 5B, 6B, 7B, 5D, and 7D had pleiotropic effects. For example, AX-95152512 on 5D was simultaneously related to increased grain weight per spike (GWS) and decreased plant height (PH); AX-109860828 on 5B simultaneously led to a high 1,000-kernel weight (TKW) and short PH; and AX-111600193 on 4A was simultaneously linked to a high TKW and GWS, and short PH. The favorable alleles in each accession ranged from 2 to 30 with an average of 16 at the thirty-one loci in the population, and six accessions (Zhengzhou683, Suzhou7829, Longchun7, Ningmai6, Yunmai35 and Zhen7630) contained more than 27 favorable alleles. A significant association between the number of favorable alleles and yield was observed (r = 0.799, p < 0.0001), suggesting that pyramiding multiple QTL with marker-assisted selection may effectively increase yield of wheat. Furthermore, distribution of superior alleles in founder parents and widely grown cultivars was also discussed here. This study is useful for marker-assisted selection for yield improvement and dissecting the genetic mechanism of important cultivars in wheat.