First steps to understand heat tolerance of temperate maize at adult stage: identification of QTL across multiple environments with connected segregating populations

• Published in: Theoretical and applied genetics Vol. 129; no. 5; pp. 945 - 961
• Main Authors: Frey, Felix P., Presterl, Thomas, Lecoq, Patrick, Orlik, András, Stich, Benjamin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.05.2016; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agricultural production; Agriculture; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; Chromosome Mapping; Climate change; Corn; Crosses, Genetic; Environment; Environmental aspects; Genes, Plant; Genetic aspects; Genetics, Population; Genotype; Germplasm; Heat; Hot Temperature; Life Sciences; Models, Genetic; Observations; Original; Original Article; Phenotype; Plant Biochemistry; Plant Breeding/Biotechnology; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Quantitative Trait Loci; Stress, Physiological; Temperature; Zea mays; Zea mays - genetics; Germany; Female Flowering; Heat Tolerance; Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Marker; Quantitative Trait Locus; Heat Stress
• ISSN: 0040-5752; 1432-2242
• DOI: 10.1007/s00122-016-2674-6

Key message Dents were more heat tolerant than Flints. QTL for heat tolerance with respect to grain yield at field conditions were identified considering multiple populations and environments. High temperatures have the potential to cause severe damages to maize production. This study aims to elucidate the genetic mechanisms of heat tolerance under field conditions in maize and the genome regions contributing to natural variation. In our study, heat tolerance was assessed on a multi-environment level under non-controlled field conditions for a set of connected intra- and interpool Dent and Flint populations. Our findings indicate that Dent are more heat tolerant during adult stage than Flint genotypes. We identified 11 quantitative trait loci (QTL) including 2 loci for heat tolerance with respect to grain yield. Furthermore, we identified six heat-tolerance and 112 heat-responsive candidate genes colocating with the previously mentioned QTL. To investigate their contribution to the response to heat stress and heat tolerance, differential expression and sequence variation of the identified candidate genes should be subjected to further research.