AUTHOR=Liu Yutong , Yuan Guangdi , Si Huan , Sun Ying , Jiang Zipeng , Liu Dan , Jiang Caihong , Pan Xuhao , Yang Jun , Luo Zhaopeng , Zhang Jianfeng , Ren Min , Pan Yi , Sun Kefan , Meng He , Wen Liuying , Xiao Zhiliang , Feng Quanfu , Yang Aiguo , Cheng Lirui TITLE=Identification of QTLs Associated With Agronomic Traits in Tobacco via a Biparental Population and an Eight-Way MAGIC Population JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2022.878267 DOI=10.3389/fpls.2022.878267 ISSN=1664-462X ABSTRACT=

Agronomic traits such as plant height (PH), leaf number (LN), leaf length (LL), and leaf width (LW), which are closely related to yield and quality, are important in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.). To identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with agronomic traits in tobacco, 209 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) and 537 multiparent advanced generation intercross (MAGIC) lines were developed. The biparental RIL and MAGIC lines were genotyped using a 430 K single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip assay, and their agronomic traits were repeatedly evaluated under different conditions. A total of 43 QTLs associated with agronomic traits were identified through a combination of linkage mapping (LM) and association mapping (AM) methods. Among these 43 QTLs, three major QTLs, namely qPH13-3, qPH17-1, and qLW20-1, were repeatedly identified by the use of various genetically diverse populations across different environments. The candidate genes for these major QTLs were subsequently predicted. Validation and utilization of the major QTL qLW20-1 for the improvement of LW in tobacco were investigated. These results could be applied to molecular marker-assisted selection (MAS) for breeding important agronomic traits in tobacco.