The genetic architecture of maize flowering time.
Flowering time is a complex trait that controls adaptation of plants to their local environment in the outcrossing species Zea mays (maize). We dissected variation for flowering time with a set of 5000 recombinant inbred lines (maize Nested Association Mapping population, NAM). Nearly a million plants were assayed in eight environments but showed no evidence for any single large-effect quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Instead, we identified evidence for numerous small-effect QTLs shared among families; however, allelic effects differ across founder lines. We identified no individual QTLs at which allelic effects are determined by geographic origin or large effects for epistasis or environmental interactions. Thus, a simple additive model accurately predicts flowering time for maize, in contrast to the genetic architecture observed in the selfing plant species rice and Arabidopsis.
Buckler
Edward S
ES
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), USA. esb33@cornell.edu
Holland
James B
JB
Bradbury
Peter J
PJ
Acharya
Charlotte B
CB
Brown
Patrick J
PJ
Browne
Chris
C
Ersoz
Elhan
E
Flint-Garcia
Sherry
S
Garcia
Arturo
A
Glaubitz
Jeffrey C
JC
Goodman
Major M
MM
Harjes
Carlos
C
Guill
Kate
K
Kroon
Dallas E
DE
Larsson
Sara
S
Lepak
Nicholas K
NK
Li
Huihui
H
Mitchell
Sharon E
SE
Pressoir
Gael
G
Peiffer
Jason A
JA
Rosas
Marco Oropeza
MO
Rocheford
Torbert R
TR
Romay
M Cinta
MC
Romero
Susan
S
Salvo
Stella
S
Sanchez Villeda
Hector
H
da Silva
H Sofia
HS
Sun
Qi
Q
Tian
Feng
F
Upadyayula
Narasimham
N
Ware
Doreen
D
Yates
Heather
H
Yu
Jianming
J
Zhang
Zhiwu
Z
Kresovich
Stephen
S
McMullen
Michael D
MD
D000483:Alleles; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D032461:Chromosomes, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D004843:Epistasis, Genetic; D035264:Flowers / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D005787:Gene Frequency; D017343:Genes, Plant; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005843:Geography; D007178:Inbreeding; D010641:Phenotype; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci; D019655:Quantitative Trait, Heritable; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D013997:Time Factors; D003313:Zea mays / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology