QTL mapping in an interspecific sorghum population uncovers candidate regulators of salinity tolerance

Salt stress impedes plant growth and disrupts normal metabolic processes, resulting in decreased biomass and increased leaf senescence. Therefore, the ability of a plant to maintain biomass when exposed to salinity stress is critical for the production of salt tolerant crops. To identify the genetic...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ashley N. Hostetler, Rajanikanth Govindarajulu, Jennifer S. Hawkins
Format: article
Language:EN
Published: Elsevier 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doaj.org/article/792948d24a7b4a18aa12f5579a3ccdc6
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Salt stress impedes plant growth and disrupts normal metabolic processes, resulting in decreased biomass and increased leaf senescence. Therefore, the ability of a plant to maintain biomass when exposed to salinity stress is critical for the production of salt tolerant crops. To identify the genetic basis of salt tolerance in an agronomically important grain crop, we used a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from an interspecific cross between domesticated Sorghum bicolor (inbred Tx7000) and a wild relative, Sorghum propinquum. A high-density genetic map was generated from 177 F3:5 RILs and coveres the 10 Sorghum chromosomes with 1991 markers. The genetic map was used to identify 19 total QTL related to plant growth and overall health in optimal and saline conditions. Of these 19 QTL detected, 10 were specific to the salt stress response. The salt-responsive QTL contained numerous genes that have been previously shown to play a role in ionic tolerance, tissue tolerance, and osmotic tolerance, including many aquaporins.