Identifying haplotypes for flowering and QTLs for fruit quality in the RosBREED Michigan and Oregon strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa) breeding sets using pedigree-based analysis [abstract]

Authors: VERMA, SUJEET - University Of Florida; Zurn, Jason; SALINAS, NATALIA - University Of Florida; MATHEYMEGAN - Spring Meadow Nursery Inc; VAN DE WEG, ERIC - University Of Wageningen; DENOYES, BEATRICE - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA); HANCOCK, JAMES - Michigan State University; Finn, Chad; Bassil, Nahla; WHITAKER, VANCE - University Of Florida

Submitted to: American Society of Horticulture Science Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/20/2017
Publication Date: 9/19/2017
Citation: Verma, S., Zurn, J.D., Salinas, N., Matheymegan, Van De Weg, E., Denoyes, B., Hancock, J., Finn, C.E., Bassil, N.V., Whitaker, V.M. 2017. Identifying haplotypes for flowering and QTLs for fruit quality in the RosBREED Michigan and Oregon strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa) breeding sets using pedigree-based analysis [abstract]. American Society of Horticulture Science Meeting. September 19-22, 2017, Waikoloa, Hawaii.

Interpretive Summary: Strawberry varieties for commercial and home garden markets are a unique blend of physiological traits. Desired traits include fruit quality traits related to color, weight, sweetness, and acidity and for the plant to produce multiple crops throughout the growing season. To better understand the genetics underlying these traits, an analysis was conducted to identify regions in the chromosomes that may be responsible for these traits in strawberries from the USDA-ARS strawberry breeding program in Oregon and that from Michigan State University. Genomic regions of interest were identified for sweetness, acidity, and fruit weight. However these traits were found to be greatly affected by environmental conditions. A region of interest was found for the flowering trait that was stable in all environments. DNA markers associated with the flowering trait were evaluated to be used in selective breeding. These markers were found to be associated with seasonal flowering and may be useful to help develop new strawberry varieties.

Technical Abstract: Strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa) is consumed for its flavor and health benefits. Over the last two decades, several quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis studies for consumer traits were conducted using low-density genetic maps. The previous studies utilized low-throughput genotyping methodologies. The IStraw90® single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array enabled QTL studies using high-density SNP genetic maps, which can be linked to physical genome positions. In this study, breeder-relevant traits, evaluated in Michigan (MI) and Oregon (OR) from the ‘RosBREED: Enabling Marker-Assisted Breeding in Rosaceae’ project, were analyzed using a pedigree-based QTL analysis approach. During the two years of evaluation in OR and MI, QTLs were validated for soluble solid content (SSC), fruit weight (FWT), pH, and flowering habit and unique QTLs were detected for FWT and titratable acidity (TA). For fruit quality, a QTL for SSC on linkage group (LG) 6A, four QTLs for FWT (LGs 1B, 2BII, 3C, and 4A), two QTLs for pH (LGs 4D and 4CII), and two QTLs for TA (LGs 2A and 7A) were detected. In addition, a large-effect QTL for flowering habit was detected at the distal end of LG 4A coinciding with the FaPFRU locus in F. ×ananassa. Haplotyping of FaPFRU indicated that the homozygous recessive genotype was highly predictive of seasonal flowering (SF). SNP probes identified in the FaPFRU region may be helpful for the development of DNA-based markers for selecting flowering habit.