Genome-Wide Association Analysis Identifies Candidate Genes Associated with Iron Deficiency Chlorosis in Soybean

Iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC) is a significant yield-limiting problem in several major soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] production regions in the United States. Soybean plants display a variety of symptoms that range from a slight yellowing of the leaf to interveinal chlorosis, to stunted growth that reduces yield. The objective of this analysis was to employ single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based genome-wide association mapping to uncover genomic regions associated with IDC tolerance. Two populations [2005 (n = 143) and 2006 (n = 141)] were evaluated in replicated, multilocation IDC trials. After controlling for population structure and individual relatedness, and selecting statistical models that minimized false positives, 42 and 88 loci, with minor allele frequency \u3e10%, were significant in 2005 and 2006, respectively. The loci accounted for 74.5% of the phenotypic variation in IDC in 2005 and 93.8% of the variation in 2006. Nine loci from seven genomic locations were significant in both years. These loci accounted for 43.7% of the variation in 2005 and 47.6% in 2006. A number of the loci discovered here mapped at or near previously discovered IDC quantitative trait loci (QTL). A total of 15 genes known to be involved in iron metabolism mapped in the vicinity (kb) of significant markers in one or both populations

Demographic Factors Shaped Diversity in the Two Genepools of Wild Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Wild common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is distributed throughout the Americas from Mexico to northern Argentina. Within this range, the species is divided into two gene pools (Andean and Middle American) along a latitudinal gradient. The diversity of 24 wild common bean genotypes from throughout the geographic range of the species was described by using sequence data from 13 loci. An isolation–migration model was evaluated using a coalescent analysis to estimate multiple demographic parameters. Using a Bayesian approach, Andean and Middle American subpopulations with high percentage of parentages were observed. Over all loci, the Middle American gene pool was more diverse than the Andean gene pool (π(sil)=0.0089 vs 0.0068). The two subpopulations were strongly genetically differentiated over all loci (F(st)=0.29). It is estimated that the two current wild gene pools diverged from a common ancestor ∼111 000 years ago. Subsequently, each gene pool underwent a bottleneck immediately after divergence and lasted ∼40 000 years. The Middle American bottleneck population size was ∼46% of the ancestral population size, whereas the Andean was 26%. Continuous asymmetric gene flow was detected between the two gene pools with a larger number of migrants entering Middle American gene pool from the Andean gene pool. These results suggest that because of the complex population structure associated with the ancestral divergence, subsequent bottlenecks in each gene pool, gene pool-specific domestication and intense selection within each gene pool by breeders; association mapping would best be practised within each common bean gene pool

ORIGINAL RESEARCH Genome-Wide Association Analysis Identifies Candidate Genes Associated with Iron Deficiency Chlorosis in Soybean

Iron defi ciency chlorosis (IDC) is a signifi cant yield-limiting problem in several major soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] production regions in the United States. Soybean plants display a variety of symptoms that range from a slight yellowing of the leaf to interveinal chlorosis, to stunted growth that reduces yield. The objective of this analysis was to employ single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based genome-wide association mapping to uncover genomic regions associated with IDC tolerance. Two populations [2005 (n = 143) and 2006 (n = 141)] were evaluated in replicated, multilocation IDC trials. After controlling for population structure and individual relatedness, and selecting statistical models that minimized false positives, 42 and 88 loci, with minor allele frequency>10%, were signifi cant in 2005 and 2006, respectively. The loci accounted for 74.5% of the phenotypic variation in IDC in2005 and 93.8 % of the variation in 2006. Nine loci from seven genomic locations were signifi cant in both years. These loci accounted for 43.7% of the variation in 2005 and 47.6 % in 2006. A number of the loci discovered here mapped at or near previously discovered IDC quantitative trait loci (QTL). A total of 15 genes known to be involved in iron metabolism mapped in the vicinity (<500 kb) of signifi cant markers in one or both populations