Open Access

ARTICLE

Genetic Mapping of Grain Length-and Width-Related Genes in the Local Wheat Variety Guizi 1×Zhongyan 96-3 Hybrid Population Using Genome Sequencing

Shaoyan Wu^1,2, Jie Tian^1,2, Yiyan Wang^1,2, Muhammad Arif^1,2, Shuyao Wang^1,2, Jing Wang^1,2, Zhuoyao Yang^1,2, Ruhong Xu^1,2,*, Luhua Li^1,2,*

1 College of Agriculture, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China
2 Guizhou Sub-Center of National Wheat Improvement Center, College of Agriculture, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China

* Corresponding Authors: Ruhong Xu. Email: ; Luhua Li. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advances in Plant Breeding and Genetic Improvement: Leveraging Molecular Markers and Novel Genetic Strategies)

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2025, 94(12), 3913-3924. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2025.072229

Received 22 August 2025; Accepted 11 November 2025; Issue published 29 December 2025

Abstract

Wheat grain morphology, particularly grain length (GL) and width (GW), is a key determinant of yield. To improve the suboptimal grain dimensions of the local anthocyanin-rich variety Guizi 1 (GZ1), we crossed it with Zhongyan 96-3 (ZY96-3), an elite germplasm known for faster grain filling and superior grain size. A genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) approach was applied to an F₂ population of 110 individuals derived from GZ1 × ZY96-3, resulting in the identification of 23,134 high-quality SNPs. Most of the SNPs associated with GL and GW were clustered on chromosomes 2B, 3A, and 3B. QTL mapping for GL revealed two major loci, GL1 on chromosome 2B and GL2 on chromosome 3B, and eight candidate genes were identified within their corresponding intervals (2B: 63.6–70.4 Mb; 3B: 631.5–633.3 Mb). These genes encode proteins potentially involved in grain size regulation, including a TOR2 regulation-associated protein, erect spike 2 (EP2), fibroblast growth factor 6 (FGF6), cellulose synthase-like (CSLD), RelA/pot homologue three family protein, and three GDSL esterase/lipase (GLIP) proteins. Additionally, we detected a QTL associated with GW on chromosome 3A and identified two candidate genes, TOR2 regulation and starch synthase within the 61.4–68.5 Mb interval. Overall, this study provides a strong theoretical and technical basis for wheat genetic improvement and offers valuable resources for precise QTL mapping and candidate gene discovery.

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Supplementary Material

Supplementary Material File

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