Archetypes of inflorescence: genome-wide association networks of panicle morphometric, growth, and disease variables in a multiparent oat population.

Abstract

There is limited information regarding the morphometric relationships of panicle traits in oat (Avena sativa) and their contribution to phenology and growth, physiology, and pathology traits important for yield. To model panicle growth and development and identify genomic regions associated with corresponding traits, 10 diverse spring oat mapping populations (n = 2,993) were evaluated in the field and 9 genotyped via genotyping-by-sequencing. Representative panicles from all progeny individuals, parents, and check lines were scanned, and images were analyzed using manual and automated techniques, resulting in over 60 unique panicle, rachis, and spikelet variables. Spatial modeling and days to heading were used to account for environmental and phenological variances, respectively. Panicle variables were intercorrelated, providing reproducible archetypal and growth models. Notably, adult plant resistance for oat crown rust was most prominent for taller, stiff stalked plants having a more open panicle structure. Within and among family variance for panicle traits reflected the moderate-to-high heritability and mutual genome-wide associations (hotspots) with numerous high-effect loci. Candidate genes and potential breeding applications are discussed. This work adds to the growing genetic resources for oat and provides a unique perspective on the genetic basis of panicle architecture in cereal crops.

Plant phenotyping relevance

オート麦の穂をスキャンし、手動・自動画像解析で60以上の形態形質を抽出して、再現可能な成長・形態モデルを構築している。遺伝解析を含むが、画像ベースの穂形態計測と解析ワークフローが主要な貢献である。

Code and data availability

The paper's Data Availability statement deposits the paper-specific phenotype dataset (Supplementary Dataset 1), panicle image dataset (Supplementary Dataset 2), and R analysis code on Zenodo under DOI 10.5281/zenodo.7011302, which is an allowed URL. This directly reproduces the paper's panicle phenotyping measurements