Construction of Molecular Marker Linkage Map and Genetic Analysis of Plant Height in Maize

摘要

The rapid development of molecular markers provided powerful tools to localize genes or QTLs involved in important agronomic traits at the genomic level. The purposes of this investigation are to map plant height QTLs using molecular markers and to analyze their genetic effects in maize. A F_(2:3) population from an elite hybrid (Zong3 x 87-1) was utilized for evaluating plant heights at two locations, Wuhan and Xiangfan in South China, using a randomized complete block design with three replications. The mapping population included 266 families. A genetic linkage map containing 150 SSR and 16 RFLP markers was constructed with a total length of 2475.9 cM and an average interval of 14.9cM. Totally, 11 QTLs (LOD>2.5) affecting plant heights were mapped on 7 different chromosomes using composite interval mapping. Eight out of the 11 QTLs were detected in two locations, 7 of which showed the same direction of increase in plant height, while 3 QTLs were detected only at one of the two locations. The contributions to phenotypic variations for a single QTL varied between 4.18% and 16.72%. Only one out of three main-effect QTLs contributing to plant heights appeared to be overdominant.