title: Genome-wide association study of leaf architecture in the maize nested association mapping population.
abstract: US maize yield has increased eight-fold in the past 80 years, with half of the gain attributed to selection by breeders. During this time, changes in maize leaf angle and size have altered plant architecture, allowing more efficient light capture as planting density has increased. Through a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of the maize nested association mapping panel, we determined the genetic basis of important leaf architecture traits and identified some of the key genes. Overall, we demonstrate that the genetic architecture of the leaf traits is dominated by small effects, with little epistasis, environmental interaction or pleiotropy. In particular, GWAS results show that variations at the liguleless genes have contributed to more upright leaves. These results demonstrate that the use of GWAS with specially designed mapping populations is effective in uncovering the basis of key agronomic traits.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Genomic Diversity, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Bradbury
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Hsiaoyi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Sherry
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Flint-Garcia
authors.forename: Torbert R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Rocheford
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: McMullen
authors.forename: James B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Holland
authors.forename: Edward S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Buckler
mesh_terms: D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D032461:Chromosomes, Plant; D004843:Epistasis, Genetic; D017343:Genes, Plant; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D014644:Genetic Variation; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000378:metabolism*; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci; D003313:Zea mays / Q000235:genetics*