title: Quantitative trait loci controlling vernalisation requirement, heading time and number of panicles in meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis Huds.).
abstract: The "BF14/16xHF2/7" mapping population of meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis Huds.) was characterised for number of panicles produced by non-vernalised plants in the field, vernalisation requirement (number of weeks at 6 degrees C and 8 h photoperiod), as well as days to heading, number of panicles and proportion of shoots heading after a 12 weeks vernalisation treatment. Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were identified and compared to QTLs and genes related to the induction of flowering in cereals and grasses. A region on chromosome 1F affected days to heading and the proportion of shoots heading. Chromosome 4F appeared to have several genes with a strong effect on vernalisation requirement. The strongest effects were located in the proximal end of 4F and may correspond to the earliness per se (eps) QTL eps6L.2 in barley and a heading time QTL in perennial ryegrass. A part of the meadow fescue orthologue of VRN1 was sequenced and mapped to another region of 4F that also had a strong effect on vernalisation requirement. The proximal end of chromosome 5F had QTLs for days to heading and proportion of heading shoots. Syntenic regions in wheat and barley contain eps-loci. A QTL for number of panicles in the field and a QTL for proportion of heading shoots were present on chromosome 6. A region on 7F affected the variation in number of panicles among plants without a vernalisation requirement, and is syntenic to regions in perennial ryegrass, barley and rice containing orthologues of Arabidopsis thaliana CO.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, 1432 As, Norway.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ergon
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Ø
authors.initials: Ø
authors.lastname: Jørgensen
authors.forename: T S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Aamlid
authors.forename: O A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Rognli
mesh_terms: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D032461:Chromosomes, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D031751:Festuca / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D035264:Flowers / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D010641:Phenotype; D018520:Plant Shoots / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci / Q000235:genetics*; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C461388:VRN1 protein, Arabidopsis