ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Breeding
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1624954
Dissecting the genetic architecture of yield-related traits by QTL mapping in maize
Provisionally accepted
Shutu Xu1,2*
Hao Zhang1,2
Ting Li1Zhenyu Zhang1Jie Wang1
Haoxiang Yang1Jiachen Liu1
Wanchao Zhu1,2
Jiquan Xue1,2- 1Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, China
- 2Hainan Institute of Northwest A&F University, Sanya, China
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Maize is a cornerstone of global agriculture, essential for ensuring food security, driving economic development, and meeting growing food demands. Yet, how to achieve optimal yield remains a multifaceted challenge influenced by biotic, environmental, and genetic factors whose comprehensive understanding is still evolving.Methods: QTL mapping of eight essential yield traits was conducted across four environments -Sanya (SY) in 2021, and Yangling (YaL), Yulin (YuL), and Weinan (WN) in 2022using two types of populations: a KA105/KB024 recombinant inbred line (RIL) population and two immortalized backcross populations (IB1 and IB2) derived from the RILs by crossing with their respective parents. Key candidate genes were identified through the integration of RNA-seq data, gene-based association analysis and classic yield-related genes network dataset.Results: Greater phenotypic variation was observed in RIL population than that in the IB1 and IB2 populations, while similar phenotype variations between IB1 and IB2 populations. A total of 121 QTLs were identified, including 10 QTLs that regulate multiple traits and 41 QTLs shared among these populations. Notably, 59.5% of the 42 QTLs identified in the IBL population (combined mapping using populations IB1, IB2, and RIL) exhibited an overdominance effect through the simultaneous calculation of additive and dominant effects. Through integrated transcriptome data and interaction networks, 20 genes located in these QTLs were investigated as candidate genes. Among them, Zm00001d005740 (ZmbHLH138) was significantly associated with ear diameter in the association mapping panel AM508.These findings illuminate the genetic mechanisms underpinning maize yield formation, providing a robust foundation for advancing high-yielding variety development through targeted field breeding strategies.
Keywords: Maize, yield, QTL mapping, Recombinant Inbred Line population, candidate genes
Received: 08 May 2025; Accepted: 31 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Xu, Zhang, Li, Zhang, Wang, Yang, Liu, Zhu and Xue. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Shutu Xu, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, China
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