Genome-Wide Association Studies of Grain Yield Components in Diverse Sorghum Germplasm

Citation: Boyles, R. E., Cooper, E. A., Myers, M. T., Brenton, Z., Rauh, B. L., Morris, G. P., & Kresovich, S. (2016). Genome-Wide Association Studies of Grain Yield Components in Diverse Sorghum Germplasm. Plant Genome, 9(2), 17. doi:10.3835/plantgenome2015.09.0091Grain yield and its primary determinants, grain number and weight, are important traits in cereal crops that have been well studied; however, the genetic basis of and interactions between these traits remain poorly understood. Characterization of grain yield per primary panicle (YPP), grain number per primary panicle (GNP), and 1000-grain weight (TGW) in sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], a hardy C-4 cereal with a genome size of similar to 730 Mb, was implemented in a diversity panel containing 390 accessions. These accessions were genotyped to obtain 268,830 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were performed to identify loci associated with each grain yield component and understand the genetic interactions between these traits. Genome-wide association studies identified associations across the genome with YPP, GNP, and TGW that were located within previously mapped sorghum QTL for panicle weight, grain yield, and seed size, respectively. There were no significant associations between GNP and TGW that were within 100 kb, much greater than the average linkage disequilibrium (LD) in sorghum. The identification of nonoverlapping loci for grain number and weight suggests these traits may be manipulated independently to increase the grain yield of sorghum. Following GWAS, genomic regions surrounding each associated SNP were mined for candidate genes. Previously published expression data indicated several TGW candidate genes, including an ethylene receptor homolog, were primarily expressed within developing seed tissues to support GWAS. Furthermore, maize (Zea mays L.) homologs of identified TGW candidates were differentially expressed within the seed between small- and large-kernel lines from a segregating maize population

Biotic resistance to tropical ornamental invasion

1. We examined invasive, casual (found occasionally outside cultivation) and non-invasive (found only in cultivation) species to investigate the role of species traits and two forms of biotic resistance (plant neighbours and herbivores) in limiting invasion in Hawaiian lowlands. 2. Seeds of 21 species of common woody ornamentals from three plant families (Acanthaceae, Apocynaceae, Bignoniaceae) that are non-invasive, casual or invasive in Hawai’i were outplanted at two field sites. We measured germination of seeds and growth and survival of seedlings for 1 year in plots with and without neighbours from the naturally assembled community. 3. The presence of neighbours reduced survival in some species, mostly non-invasive or casual species, and completely excluded two non-invasive species from community plots. Damage from the existing community of herbivores was correlated with lower survival in the Acanthaceae and Bignoniaceae, but not the Apocynaceae. 4. Non-invasive and casual species had lower survival and growth rates than invasive species and lower photosynthetic rates in the presence of neighbours than invasive species. Non-invasives without neighbours also had lower specific leaf area than invasives and casuals. 5. We found evidence for barriers to invasion in some non-invasive and casual species, including low growth rate, low survival, or low survival in the presence of neighbours. By contrast, five of the six invasives flowered and three began setting fruit within the duration of the experiment, as did one of the casual species. 6. Synthesis. Our research demonstrates biotic resistance, presumably as a result of competition. Neighbouring plants reduced survival and growth for most species. For non-invasive species with low survival and growth even without competition from neighbouring plants, this resulted in complete exclusion from community plots or such low growth rates that exclusion over longer time frames was likely. We also provide evidence for traits-based barriers to invasion in non-invasive and casual species. However, no single barrier to invasion was shared across all non-invasive and casual species