Identification of Stable QTL for Time to Maturation in Virginia-Type Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.)
Abstract Background Time-to-maturation (TTM) is an important trait contributing to adaptability, yield and quality in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L). Virginia market-type peanut belongs to the late-maturing A. hypogaea subspecies with considerable variation in TTM within this market type. Consequently, planting and harvesting schedule of peanut cultivars including Virginia market-type need to be optimized to maximize yield and grade. Little is known regarding the genetic control of TTM in peanut due to the challenge of phenotyping and limited DNA polymorphism. Here, we investigated the genetic control of TTM within the Virginia market-type peanut using a SNP-based high-density genetic map. Methods A recombinant inbred line (RIL) population of 260 lines, derived from a cross between two Virginia-type cultivars with contrasting TTM, was phenotyped in the field for two years following a randomized complete block design. TTM was determined by maturity index (MI) using a hull-scrape method. Other agronomic traits potentially related to TTM such as pod yield (PY), harvest index (HI), branching habit (BH), 50 pod weight (50PW), 50 seed weight (50SW) and shelling percentage (SP) were recorded as well. Genotyping was performed with the Affymetrix Axiom_Arachis2 SNP array. Genetic map construction and QTL mapping were performed by the Joinmap and MapQTL software, respectively.Results A genetic map was constructed with 1833 SNP markers covering a total map distance of 1773.5 cM. Thirty QTL were identified for all measured traits. Among the four QTL regions for MI, two stable QTL regions were identified on chromosomes A04 and B03, which explained phenotypic variation of 9.3% and 11.9%, respectively. QTL for HI were found to share the same loci as MI on chromosomes B03, B05, and B06, demonstrating the possible pleiotropic effect of HI on TTM. Significant but smaller effects on MI were detected for branching habit, pod yield and shelling percentage.Conclusions This study identified consistent QTL regions conditioning TTM for Virginia market-type peanut. The information and materials generated here can be used to further develop molecular markers to select peanut idiotypes suitable for diverse growth environments.