Combined GWAS and eGWAS reveals the genetic basis underlying drought tolerance in emmer wheat (<i>Triticum turgidum</i> L.)
Yang, Guang, Yan Pan, Wenqiu Pan, Qingting Song, Ruoyu Zhang, Wei Tong, Licao Cui, Wanquan Ji, Weining Song, Baoxing Song, Pingchuan Deng and Xiaojun Nie
New Phytologist
https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.19589
ABSTRACT
Drought is one of the major environmental constraints for wheat production world-wide. As the progenitor and genetic reservoir of common wheat, emmer wheat is considered as an invaluable gene pool for breeding drought-tolerant wheat.<br /> Combining GWAS and eGWAS analysis of 107 accessions, we identified 86 QTLs, 105 462 eQTLs as well as 68 eQTL hotspots associating with drought tolerance (DT) in emmer wheat. A complex regulatory network composed of 185 upstream regulator and 2432 downstream drought-responsive candidates was developed, of which TtOTS1 was found to play a negative effect in determining DT through affecting root development.<br /> This study sheds light on revealing the genetic basis underlying DT, which will provide the indispensable genes and germplasm resources for elite drought tolerance wheat improvement and breeding.