Genome-wide association analysis of wheat stem traits using 55K microarrays

Wheat lodging poses a severe threat to yield and quality, with the morphological and structural traits of the basal second internode being critical determinants of stem strength and lodging resistance. We conducted phenotypic analysis on 239 wheat varieties (lines) collected from around the world. T...

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Main Authors: Wei Wang, Na Sun, Kai Zhao, JiKun Song, Hui Fang, Guiqiang Fan, Yonghong Gao, Tianrong Huang, Yindeng Ding
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-07-01
Series:Frontiers in Plant Science
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1635721/full
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author Wei Wang
Na Sun
Kai Zhao
JiKun Song
Hui Fang
Guiqiang Fan
Yonghong Gao
Tianrong Huang
Yindeng Ding
author_facet Wei Wang
Na Sun
Kai Zhao
JiKun Song
Hui Fang
Guiqiang Fan
Yonghong Gao
Tianrong Huang
Yindeng Ding
author_sort Wei Wang
collection DOAJ
description Wheat lodging poses a severe threat to yield and quality, with the morphological and structural traits of the basal second internode being critical determinants of stem strength and lodging resistance. We conducted phenotypic analysis on 239 wheat varieties (lines) collected from around the world. This analysis was complemented by genotyping using the wheat 55K SNP chip. Genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) was executed employing the MLM (Q+K) algorithm within the TASSLE software suite. The findings unveiled pronounced phenotypic variability in the stem diameter of the second internode across disparate temporal intervals, characterized by a coefficient of variation spanning from 11.31% to 13.95%, alongside robust inter-year correlations. Furthermore, the genome-wide linkage disequilibrium (LD) decay distance was ascertained to 3 Mb. Analyses of population structure, phylogenetic dendrograms, and principal components revealed that the intrinsic population structure of the 239 wheat varieties (lines) was markedly simplified, segregating into three discernible subgroups. GWAS analysis identified 118 SNPs significantly associated with the stem diameter of the second internode (P ≤ 0.001). Notably, among these loci, three SNPs (AX-111557672, AX-94584919, and AX-109819835) overlapped with previously reported associations, while the remaining 115 SNPs represented novel discoveries distributed across chromosomes 1A, 1B, 1D, 2A, 2B, 2D, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 4D, 5A, 5B, 6A, 6B, 6D, 7A, 7B, and 7D. These newly identified loci exhibited substantial phenotypic variance explained, ranging from 8.09% to 29.14% for individual SNPs. Subsequent rigorous screening of loci showing significant phenotypic impacts and stability across diverse environmental contexts culminated in the identification of seven candidate genes implicated in the stem diameter of the second internode. This investigation provides new SNPs markers for enhancing lodging resistance in wheat, highlighting substantial practical implications.
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spelling doaj-art-ff47774a986542559ca6493ff818b2422025-08-20T03:56:03ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Plant Science1664-462X2025-07-011610.3389/fpls.2025.16357211635721Genome-wide association analysis of wheat stem traits using 55K microarraysWei Wang0Na Sun1Kai Zhao2JiKun Song3Hui Fang4Guiqiang Fan5Yonghong Gao6Tianrong Huang7Yindeng Ding8School of Computer Science and Information Engineering, Anyang Institute of Technology, Anyang, ChinaYili Prefecture Institute of Agricultural Science, Yining, ChinaSchool of Computer Science and Information Engineering, Anyang Institute of Technology, Anyang, ChinaCotton Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, AnYang, ChinaInstitute of Crops, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xinjiang, ChinaInstitute of Crops, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xinjiang, ChinaInstitute of Crops, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xinjiang, ChinaInstitute of Crops, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xinjiang, ChinaInstitute of Crops, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xinjiang, ChinaWheat lodging poses a severe threat to yield and quality, with the morphological and structural traits of the basal second internode being critical determinants of stem strength and lodging resistance. We conducted phenotypic analysis on 239 wheat varieties (lines) collected from around the world. This analysis was complemented by genotyping using the wheat 55K SNP chip. Genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) was executed employing the MLM (Q+K) algorithm within the TASSLE software suite. The findings unveiled pronounced phenotypic variability in the stem diameter of the second internode across disparate temporal intervals, characterized by a coefficient of variation spanning from 11.31% to 13.95%, alongside robust inter-year correlations. Furthermore, the genome-wide linkage disequilibrium (LD) decay distance was ascertained to 3 Mb. Analyses of population structure, phylogenetic dendrograms, and principal components revealed that the intrinsic population structure of the 239 wheat varieties (lines) was markedly simplified, segregating into three discernible subgroups. GWAS analysis identified 118 SNPs significantly associated with the stem diameter of the second internode (P ≤ 0.001). Notably, among these loci, three SNPs (AX-111557672, AX-94584919, and AX-109819835) overlapped with previously reported associations, while the remaining 115 SNPs represented novel discoveries distributed across chromosomes 1A, 1B, 1D, 2A, 2B, 2D, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 4D, 5A, 5B, 6A, 6B, 6D, 7A, 7B, and 7D. These newly identified loci exhibited substantial phenotypic variance explained, ranging from 8.09% to 29.14% for individual SNPs. Subsequent rigorous screening of loci showing significant phenotypic impacts and stability across diverse environmental contexts culminated in the identification of seven candidate genes implicated in the stem diameter of the second internode. This investigation provides new SNPs markers for enhancing lodging resistance in wheat, highlighting substantial practical implications.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1635721/fullwheatstem thicknesscollapseGWAScandidate genes
spellingShingle Wei Wang
Na Sun
Kai Zhao
JiKun Song
Hui Fang
Guiqiang Fan
Yonghong Gao
Tianrong Huang
Yindeng Ding
Genome-wide association analysis of wheat stem traits using 55K microarrays
Frontiers in Plant Science
wheat
stem thickness
collapse
GWAS
candidate genes
title Genome-wide association analysis of wheat stem traits using 55K microarrays
title_full Genome-wide association analysis of wheat stem traits using 55K microarrays
title_fullStr Genome-wide association analysis of wheat stem traits using 55K microarrays
title_full_unstemmed Genome-wide association analysis of wheat stem traits using 55K microarrays
title_short Genome-wide association analysis of wheat stem traits using 55K microarrays
title_sort genome wide association analysis of wheat stem traits using 55k microarrays
topic wheat
stem thickness
collapse
GWAS
candidate genes
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1635721/full
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AT kaizhao genomewideassociationanalysisofwheatstemtraitsusing55kmicroarrays
AT jikunsong genomewideassociationanalysisofwheatstemtraitsusing55kmicroarrays
AT huifang genomewideassociationanalysisofwheatstemtraitsusing55kmicroarrays
AT guiqiangfan genomewideassociationanalysisofwheatstemtraitsusing55kmicroarrays
AT yonghonggao genomewideassociationanalysisofwheatstemtraitsusing55kmicroarrays
AT tianronghuang genomewideassociationanalysisofwheatstemtraitsusing55kmicroarrays
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