CHEN Wang
College of Agronomy, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109,Shandong;Institute of Food Crops, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Crop Molecular Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Hubei Key Laboratory of Food Crop Germplasm and Genetic Improvement, Wuhan 430064WANG Dian
College of Agronomy, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109,ShandongSONG Bo
College of Agronomy, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109,ShandongLIU Yike
Institute of Food Crops, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Crop Molecular Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Hubei Key Laboratory of Food Crop Germplasm and Genetic Improvement, Wuhan 430064ZHU Zhanwang
Institute of Food Crops, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Crop Molecular Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Hubei Key Laboratory of Food Crop Germplasm and Genetic Improvement, Wuhan 430064WEI Bo
Peking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences/National Key Laboratory of Wheat Improvement/Shandong Laboratory of Advanced Agricultural Sciences in Weifang, Weifang 261325, ShandongNING Qiang
Institute of Food Crops, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Crop Molecular Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Hubei Key Laboratory of Food Crop Germplasm and Genetic Improvement, Wuhan 4300641.College of Agronomy, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109,Shandong;2.Institute of Food Crops, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Crop Molecular Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Hubei Key Laboratory of Food Crop Germplasm and Genetic Improvement, Wuhan 430064;3.Peking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences/National Key Laboratory of Wheat Improvement/Shandong Laboratory of Advanced Agricultural Sciences in Weifang, Weifang 261325, Shandong
Foundation project: National Natural Science Foundation of China(32072061,32272173,31571750)
To develop novel genetic materials with breeding potential and identify genetic intervals regulating grain number per spike in wheat, we conducted a comprehensive study using near-isogenic lines (NILs) through crossing the octoploid Thinopyrum ponticum derived wheat cultivars Hengguan 35 and Kenong 199. Seven yield-related traits, including plant height, effective tiller number, spike length, spikelet number per spike, grain number per spike, grain yield per plant and thousand grain weight, were systematically evaluated. Genome-wide scanning was performed using the 660K SNP array to identify polymorphic loci and conserved physical intervals between two pairs of NILs. Candidate genes were predicted through integrated analysis of gene annotation and expression profiles within the candidate regions. The results indicated that NIL pairs N81/N82 and N86/N87 exhibited significant differences in spike-related traits while maintaining genetic similarities of 98.02% and 98.78%, respectively. SNP polymorphism analysis identified three conserved genomic regions associated with spike architecture, 662-669 Mb on chromosome 1B, 19-25 Mb on chromosome 3B, and 541-548 Mb on chromosome 5B. Through integration of QTL mapping data, gene functional annotation, expression analysis, and orthologous gene comparison, we identified three putative candidate genes regulating grain number per spike: TraesCS1B02G443200, encoding malate dehydrogenase on chromosome 1B, TraesCS3B02G042400, encoding an AP2/ERF transcription factor on chromosome 3B, and TraesCS5B02G366500, encoding a C2H2-type zinc finger protein on chromosome 5B. These findings provide a theoretical reference for identifying genes regulating grain number per spike in wheat.