title: Genome-Wide Association Study Dissecting the Genetic Architecture Underlying the Branch Angle Trait in Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.).
abstract: The rapeseed branch angle is an important morphological trait because an adequate branch angle enables more efficient light capture under high planting densities. Here, we report that the average angle of the five top branches provides a reliable representation of the average angle of all branches. Statistical analyses revealed a significantly positive correlation between the branch angle and multiple plant-type and yield-related traits. The 60 K Brassica Infinium(®) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array was utilized to genotype an association panel with 520 diverse accessions. A genome-wide association study was performed to determine the genetic architecture of branch angle, and 56 loci were identified as being significantly associated with the branch angle trait via three models, including a robust, novel, nonparametric Anderson-Darling (A-D) test. Moreover, these loci explained 51.1% of the phenotypic variation when a simple additive model was applied. Within the linkage disequilibrium (LD) decay ranges of 53 loci, we observed plausible candidates orthologous to documented Arabidopsis genes, such as LAZY1, SGR2, SGR4, SGR8, SGR9, PIN3, PIN7, CRK5, TIR1, and APD7. These results provide insight into the genetic basis of the branch angle trait in rapeseed and might facilitate marker-based breeding for improvements in plant architecture.
authors.affiliation: Huazhong Agricultural University, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, National Sub-center of Rapeseed Improvement in Wuhan, Wuhan, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Chengming
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Huazhong Agricultural University, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, National Sub-center of Rapeseed Improvement in Wuhan, Wuhan, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Benqi
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Huazhong Agricultural University, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, National Sub-center of Rapeseed Improvement in Wuhan, Wuhan, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Xiaohua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Huazhong Agricultural University, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, National Sub-center of Rapeseed Improvement in Wuhan, Wuhan, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Kaining
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Huazhong Agricultural University, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, National Sub-center of Rapeseed Improvement in Wuhan, Wuhan, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Kaidi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Huazhong Agricultural University, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, National Sub-center of Rapeseed Improvement in Wuhan, Wuhan, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Zhanyu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Huazhong Agricultural University, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, National Sub-center of Rapeseed Improvement in Wuhan, Wuhan, 430070, China.
authors.forename: San
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Huazhong Agricultural University, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, National Sub-center of Rapeseed Improvement in Wuhan, Wuhan, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Hunan Agricultural University, College of Agronomy, Changsha, 410128, China.
authors.forename: Chunyun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Science, Key Laboratory of Cotton and Rapeseed, Nanjing, 210014, China.
authors.forename: Jiefu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Hunan Agricultural University, College of Agronomy, Changsha, 410128, China.
authors.forename: Zhenqian
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Science, Key Laboratory of Cotton and Rapeseed, Nanjing, 210014, China.
authors.forename: Song
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Huazhong Agricultural University, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, National Sub-center of Rapeseed Improvement in Wuhan, Wuhan, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.affiliation: Huazhong Agricultural University, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, National Sub-center of Rapeseed Improvement in Wuhan, Wuhan, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Jinxing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.affiliation: Huazhong Agricultural University, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, National Sub-center of Rapeseed Improvement in Wuhan, Wuhan, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Jinxiong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Huazhong Agricultural University, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, National Sub-center of Rapeseed Improvement in Wuhan, Wuhan, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Tingdong
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: Huazhong Agricultural University, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, National Sub-center of Rapeseed Improvement in Wuhan, Wuhan, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yi
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D029688:Brassica napus / Q000235:genetics*; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D005787:Gene Frequency; D017343:Genes, Plant; D005828:Genetics, Population; D018745:Genome, Plant; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study; D023281:Genomics / Q000379:methods; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium; D010641:Phenotype; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci; D019655:Quantitative Trait, Heritable