title: Genetic analysis of Upland cotton dynamic heterosis for boll number per plant at multiple developmental stages.
abstract: Yield is an important breeding target. As important yield components, boll number per plant (BNP) shows dynamic character and strong heterosis in Upland cotton. However, the genetic basis underlying the dynamic heterosis is poorly understood. In this study, we conducted dynamic quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis for BNP and heterosis at multiple developmental stages and environments using two recombinant inbred lines (RILs) and two corresponding backcross populations. By the single-locus analysis, 23 QTLs were identified at final maturity, while 99 QTLs were identified across other three developmental stages. A total of 48 conditional QTLs for BNP were identified for the adjacent stages. QTLs detected at later stage mainly existed in the partial dominance to dominance range and QTLs identified at early stage mostly showed effects with the dominance to overdominance range during plant development. By two-locus analysis, we observe that epistasis played an important role not only in the variation of the performance of the RIL population but also in the expression of heterosis in backcross population. Taken together, the present study reveals that the genetic basis of heterosis is dynamic and complicated, and it is involved in dynamic dominance effect, epistasis and QTL by environmental interactions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Genetics and Breeding/Key Laboratory of Crop Heterosis and Utilization of Ministry of Education/Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
authors.forename: Lianguang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shang
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Cash Crops, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Yumei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Genetics and Breeding/Key Laboratory of Crop Heterosis and Utilization of Ministry of Education/Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
authors.forename: Shihu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Genetics and Breeding/Key Laboratory of Crop Heterosis and Utilization of Ministry of Education/Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
authors.forename: Lingling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Anyang 455000, Henan, China.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Genetics and Breeding/Key Laboratory of Crop Heterosis and Utilization of Ministry of Education/Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
authors.forename: Zhiwen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Genetics and Breeding/Key Laboratory of Crop Heterosis and Utilization of Ministry of Education/Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Anyang 455000, Henan, China.
authors.forename: Kunbo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Genetics and Breeding/Key Laboratory of Crop Heterosis and Utilization of Ministry of Education/Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
authors.forename: Jinping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hua
mesh_terms: D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D017753:Ecosystem; D003368:Gossypium / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development*; D006579:Heterozygote; D006823:Hybrid Vigor / Q000235:genetics*; D006824:Hybridization, Genetic; D007178:Inbreeding; D010641:Phenotype; D063245:Plant Development / Q000235:genetics*; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci / Q000235:genetics