title: Genetic analysis of bolting after winter in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.).
abstract: This study reveals for the first time a major QTL for post-winter bolting resistance in sugar beet ( Beta vulgaris L.). The knowledge of this QTL is a major contribution towards the development of a winter sugar beet with controlled bolting behavior. In cool temperate climates, sugar beets are currently grown as a spring crop. They are sown in spring and harvested in autumn. Growing sugar beet as a winter crop with an extended vegetation period fails due to bolting after winter. Bolting after winter might be controlled by accumulating genes for post-winter bolting resistance. Previously, we had observed in field experiments a low post-winter bolting rate of 0.5 for sugar beet accession BETA 1773. This accession was crossed with a biennial sugar beet with regular bolting behavior to develop a F3 mapping population. The population was grown in the greenhouse, exposed to artificial cold treatment for 16 weeks and transplanted to the field. Bolting was recorded twice a week from May until October. Post-winter bolting behavior was assessed by two different factors, bolting delay (determined as days to bolt after cold treatment) and post-winter bolting resistance (bolting rate after winter). For days to bolt, means of F3 families ranged from 25 to 164 days while for bolting rate F3 families ranged from 0 to 1. For each factor one QTL explaining about 65% of the phenotypic variation was mapped to the same region on linkage group 9 with a partially recessive allele increasing bolting delay and post-winter bolting resistance. The results are discussed in relation to the potential use of marker-assisted breeding of winter sugar beets with controlled bolting.
authors.affiliation: Plant Breeding Institute, Christian Albrechts University of Kiel, Olshausenstrasse 40, 24118, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pfeiffer
authors.forename: Conny
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tränkner
authors.forename: Ioana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lemnian
authors.forename: Ivo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Grosse
authors.forename: Andreas E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Friedrich J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Kopisch-Obuch
mesh_terms: D054458:Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis; D027461:Beta vulgaris / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development*; D001947:Breeding; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003080:Cold Temperature; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D010641:Phenotype; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci; D012621:Seasons
chemical_list: D018744:DNA, Plant