title: Genetic dissection of plant architecture and yield-related traits in Brassica napus.
abstract: An optimized plant architecture (PA) is fundamental for high-yield breeding but the genetic control of the important trait is largely unknown in rapeseed. Here plant architecture factors (PAFs) were proposed to consist of main inflorescence length proportion (MILP), branch height proportion (BHP), and branch segment proportion (BSP). Comparison of different genotypes in a DH population grown in diverse environments showed that an optimized PAF performance with MILP and BHP between 0.3-0.4 was important for high yield potential. In total, 163 unique quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for PA- and plant yield (PY)-related traits were mapped onto a high-density genetic map. Furthermore, 190 PA-related candidate genes for 91 unique PA QTLs and 2350 PY epistatic interaction loci-pairs were identified, which explain 2.8-51.8% and 5.2-23.6% of phenotypic variation, respectively. Three gene categories, transcription factor, auxin/IAA, and gibberellin, comprise the largest proportions of candidate genes for PA-related QTLs. The effectiveness of QTL candidate genes prediction was demonstrated by cloning of three candidate genes, Bna.A02.CLV2, Bna.A09.SLY2, and Bna.C07.AHK4. The study thus outlines a gene network for control of PA-related traits and provides novel information for understanding the establishment of ideal PA and for developing effective breeding strategies for yield improvement in rapeseed and other crops.
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.|Key Laboratory of Rapeseed Genetics and Breeding of Agriculture Ministry of China, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
authors.forename: Guangqin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
authors.forename: Qingyong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Rapeseed Genetics and Breeding of Agriculture Ministry of China, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Rapeseed Genetics and Breeding of Agriculture Ministry of China, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
authors.forename: Chunyu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
authors.forename: Chuchuan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.|Key Laboratory of Rapeseed Genetics and Breeding of Agriculture Ministry of China, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
authors.forename: Yongming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics; D029688:Brassica napus / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci; D012639:Seeds / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development*