TY - JOUR
T1 - Identification of QTL markers contributing to plant growth, oil yield and fatty acid composition in the oilseed crop Jatropha curcas L.
AU - King, A.J.
AU - Montes, L.R.
AU - Clarke, J.G.
AU - Itzep, J.
AU - Perez, C.A.A.
AU - Jongschaap, R.E.E.
AU - Visser, R.G.F.
AU - van Loo, E.N.
AU - Graham, I.A.
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - Background:
Economical cultivation of the oilseed crop Jatropha curcas is currently hampered in part due to the
non-availability of purpose-bred cultivars. Although genetic maps and genome sequence data exist for this crop,
marker-assisted breeding has not yet been implemented due to a lack of available marker–trait association studies. To
identify the location of beneficial alleles for use in plant breeding, we performed quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis
for a number of agronomic traits in two biparental mapping populations.
Results:
The mapping populations segregated for a range of traits contributing to oil yield, including plant height,
stem diameter, number of branches, total seeds per plant, 100-seed weight, seed oil content and fatty acid composition.
QTL were detected for each of these traits and often over multiple years, with some variation in the phenotypic
variance explained between different years. In one of the mapping populations where we recorded vegetative traits,
we also observed co-localization of QTL for stem diameter and plant height, which were both overdominant, suggesting
a possible locus conferring a pleotropic heterosis effect. By using a candidate gene approach and integrating
physical mapping data from a recent high-quality release of the Jatropha genome, we were also able to position a
large number of genes involved in the biosynthesis of storage lipids onto the genetic map. By comparing the position
of these genes with QTL, we were able to detect a number of genes potentially underlying seed traits, including phosphatidate
phosphatase genes.
Conclusions:
The QTL we have identified will serve as a useful starting point in the creation of new varieties of J.
curcas with improved agronomic performance for seed and oil productivity. Our ability to physically map a significant
proportion of the Jatropha genome sequence onto our genetic map could also prove useful in identifying the genes
underlying particular traits, allowing more controlled and precise introgression of desirable alleles and permitting the
pyramiding or stacking of multiple QTL.
Keywords: Jatropha curcas, Linkage mapping, QTL analysis, Oil content, Seed weight, Seed yield
AB - Background:
Economical cultivation of the oilseed crop Jatropha curcas is currently hampered in part due to the
non-availability of purpose-bred cultivars. Although genetic maps and genome sequence data exist for this crop,
marker-assisted breeding has not yet been implemented due to a lack of available marker–trait association studies. To
identify the location of beneficial alleles for use in plant breeding, we performed quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis
for a number of agronomic traits in two biparental mapping populations.
Results:
The mapping populations segregated for a range of traits contributing to oil yield, including plant height,
stem diameter, number of branches, total seeds per plant, 100-seed weight, seed oil content and fatty acid composition.
QTL were detected for each of these traits and often over multiple years, with some variation in the phenotypic
variance explained between different years. In one of the mapping populations where we recorded vegetative traits,
we also observed co-localization of QTL for stem diameter and plant height, which were both overdominant, suggesting
a possible locus conferring a pleotropic heterosis effect. By using a candidate gene approach and integrating
physical mapping data from a recent high-quality release of the Jatropha genome, we were also able to position a
large number of genes involved in the biosynthesis of storage lipids onto the genetic map. By comparing the position
of these genes with QTL, we were able to detect a number of genes potentially underlying seed traits, including phosphatidate
phosphatase genes.
Conclusions:
The QTL we have identified will serve as a useful starting point in the creation of new varieties of J.
curcas with improved agronomic performance for seed and oil productivity. Our ability to physically map a significant
proportion of the Jatropha genome sequence onto our genetic map could also prove useful in identifying the genes
underlying particular traits, allowing more controlled and precise introgression of desirable alleles and permitting the
pyramiding or stacking of multiple QTL.
Keywords: Jatropha curcas, Linkage mapping, QTL analysis, Oil content, Seed weight, Seed yield
KW - Jatropha curcas
KW - Linkage mapping
KW - Oil content
KW - QTL analysis
KW - Seed weight
KW - Seed yield
U2 - 10.1186/s13068-015-0326-8
DO - 10.1186/s13068-015-0326-8
M3 - Article
SN - 1754-6834
VL - 8
JO - Biotechnology for Biofuels
JF - Biotechnology for Biofuels
M1 - 160
ER -
