Development and validation of KASP assays for genes underpinning key economic traits in bread wheat.
We developed and validated a robust marker toolkit for high-throughput and cost-effective screening of a large number of functional genes in wheat. Functional markers (FMs) are the most valuable markers for crop breeding programs, and high-throughput genotyping for FMs could provide an excellent opportunity to effectively practice marker-assisted selection while breeding cultivars. Here we developed and validated kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) assays for genes that underpin economically important traits in bread wheat including adaptability, grain yield, quality, and biotic and abiotic stress resistances. In total, 70 KASP assays either developed in this study or obtained from public databases were validated for reliability in application. The validation of KASP assays were conducted by (a) comparing the assays with available gel-based PCR markers on 23 diverse wheat accessions, (b) validation of the derived allelic information using phenotypes of a panel comprised of 300 diverse cultivars from China and 13 other countries, and (c) additional testing, where possible, of the assays in four segregating populations. All KASP assays being reported were significantly associated with the relevant phenotypes in the cultivars panel and bi-parental populations, thus revealing potential application in wheat breeding programs. The results revealed 45 times superiority of the KASP assays in speed than gel-based PCR markers. KASP has recently emerged as single-plex high-throughput genotyping technology; this is the first report on high-throughput screening of a large number of functional genes in a major crop. Such assays could greatly accelerate the characterization of crossing parents and advanced lines for marker-assisted selection and can complement the inflexible, high-density SNP arrays. Our results offer a robust and reliable molecular marker toolkit that can contribute towards maximizing genetic gains in wheat breeding programs.
Institute of Crop Science, National Wheat Improvement Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), 12 Zhongguancun South Street, Beijing, 100081, China.|International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), c/o CAAS 12 Zhongguancun South Street, Beijing, 100081, China.
Awais
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2528-708X
A
Rasheed
Institute of Crop Science, National Wheat Improvement Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), 12 Zhongguancun South Street, Beijing, 100081, China.
Weie
W
Wen
Institute of Crop Science, National Wheat Improvement Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), 12 Zhongguancun South Street, Beijing, 100081, China.
Fengmei
F
Gao
Institute of Crop Science, National Wheat Improvement Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), 12 Zhongguancun South Street, Beijing, 100081, China.
Shengnan
S
Zhai
Institute of Crop Science, National Wheat Improvement Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), 12 Zhongguancun South Street, Beijing, 100081, China.
Hui
H
Jin
Institute of Crop Science, National Wheat Improvement Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), 12 Zhongguancun South Street, Beijing, 100081, China.
Jindong
J
Liu
Institute of Crop Science, National Wheat Improvement Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), 12 Zhongguancun South Street, Beijing, 100081, China.
Qi
Q
Guo
Institute of Crop Science, National Wheat Improvement Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), 12 Zhongguancun South Street, Beijing, 100081, China.
Yingjun
Y
Zhang
Global Wheat Program, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Apdo. Postal 6-641, 06600, Mexico, DF, Mexico.
Susanne
S
Dreisigacker
Institute of Crop Science, National Wheat Improvement Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), 12 Zhongguancun South Street, Beijing, 100081, China.
Xianchun
X
Xia
Institute of Crop Science, National Wheat Improvement Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), 12 Zhongguancun South Street, Beijing, 100081, China. zhhecaas@163.com.|International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), c/o CAAS 12 Zhongguancun South Street, Beijing, 100081, China. zhhecaas@163.com.
Zhonghu
Z
He
D000483:Alleles; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000235:genetics; D017343:Genes, Plant; D005819:Genetic Markers; D005838:Genotype; D010641:Phenotype; D000069600:Plant Breeding; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014908:Triticum / Q000235:genetics*
D005819:Genetic Markers