Genome wide association mapping of yield and agro-morphological traits under drought and heat stress in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)
摘要
Global wheat production is increasingly threatened by drought and heat stress, necessitating the identification of genomic regions associated with stress adaptation and yield stability. In this study, a diverse wheat association panel was evaluated under timely sown irrigated (IR), restricted irrigation (RI), and late-sown irrigated (LS) environments. Significant reductions in days to heading, plant height, thousand grain weight, and plot yield were observed under stress conditions, with plot yield decreasing from 4.50 kg in IR to 3.02 kg in LS. Moderate to high heritability and positive associations between NDVI and yield-related traits highlighted the importance of physiological traits in stress adaptation. Population structure analysis identified two distinct subpopulations with low kinship, indicating substantial genetic diversity within the panel. Genome-wide association analysis using 11,834 high-quality SNP markers identified 29 significant marker-trait associations (MTAs), including stable loci for plant height were detected at AX-94,515,371 (5D) and AX-94,557,776 (6A), while pleiotropic loci AX-95,084,685 (6B) and AX-95,166,397 (5B) were associated with multiple phenological and physiological traits. In silico analysis identified candidate genes involved in transcriptional regulation, signalling, transport, and stress-responsive pathways, including MYB and GRF transcription factors, SWEET transporters, and ACT and RING-type domain proteins. The Multi-Trait Genotype-Ideotype Distance Index (MGIDI) identified ADT-8, ADT-23, ADT-21, ADT-41, ADT-9, and ADT-24 as superior genotypes. These findings provide valuable genomic resources and germplasm for future validation studies and explaining the genetic basis of yield stability and offering targets for breeding stress resilient, high yielding wheat varieties.