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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Kearneysville, West Virginia » Appalachian Fruit Research Laboratory » Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #312732
Title: Preliminary identification of QTLs controlling water use efficiency in 'Gala' apple (Malus x domestica)

Author
item Artlip, Timothy - Tim
item Norelli, John
item Wisniewski, Michael
item Fazio, Gennaro
item Glenn, David

Submitted to: Annual International Plant & Animal Genome Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/21/2014
Publication Date: 1/2/2015
Publication URL: https://pag.conFey.com/pag/xxiii/webprogram/Paper17712.html
Citation: Artlip, T.S., Norelli, J.L., Wisniewski, M.E., Fazio, G., Glenn, D.M. 2015. Preliminary identification of QTLs controlling water use efficiency in 'Gala' apple (Malus x domestica) [abstract]. Plant and Animal Genome Conference. p. 875.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Water use efficiency (WUE) in plants is measured by the ratio of dry matter accumulation per unit of transpiration. The goal of this study was to determine if genomic regions positively affecting WUE could be identified in a ‘Royal Gala’ apple X Malus sieversii PI613981 mapping population (GMAL4593, n=171). Plant ash content has been demonstrated to be negatively correlated with WUE based on the passive transport of minerals in the xylem and their accumulation in growing and transpiring tissues. The greater the amount of transpiration, the greater the amount of mineral transport to the transpiring tissues leading to increased ash content. Samples consisting of approximately 20 leaves were collected and dried Aug 2-6, 2010 from 3-4 replicate GMAL4593 individuals that were grafted onto seedling rootstocks and in their 2nd year of field growth at USDA-ARS, Kearneysville, WV (1-2 samples per tree, average of 5.7 leaf samples per genotype). Based on sample ash content, a Multiple Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) Model (MQM, MapQTL 6, Kyazma B.V., Wageningen, Netherlands) identified genomic regions on LG2 centered around marker GDsnp00483 (LOD 4.37, 9.9 percent explained variation) at 39.8 cM and on LG17 at marker GDsnp01525 (LOD 4.72, 10.7 percent) at 99.2 cM. The QTL on LG2 was due to alleles from ‘Royal Gala’, whereas alleles from both parents appeared to be contributing to the QTL on LG17. Global climate changes will likely impact water availability and developing new cultivars with significant improvement in WUE will help to maintain cost-effective and sustainable apple production systems.