Molecular Breeding最新文献

{"title":"Genetic interactions among flowering loci influence phenology, vigour, and yield in chickpea.","authors":"Raul Ortega Martinez, L Lake, J E Hayes, J L Weller, R French, V O Sadras","doi":"10.1007/s11032-026-01701-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11032-026-01701-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Flowering time and vegetative vigour are central adaptive traits in chickpea, shaping the balance between stress escape, biomass accumulation, and yield. Major phenology loci have been identified in this species, including <i>ELF3a</i>, <i>CaLG3b</i> and a cluster of <i>FT</i> homologues on chromosome 3 (<i>CaLG3a</i>), but their individual and interactive contributions to field adaptation remain unclear. Here, we developed near-isogenic lines (NILs) to dissect these loci under controlled conditions and across eight field environments in Southern and Western Australia. In a phytotron, NILs revealed strong photoperiod dependence: <i>ELF3a</i> suppressed flowering under short days, while early alleles at <i>CaLG3b</i> and the <i>FT</i> cluster promoted flowering under long days, with additive effects across loci. In the field, allelic substitutions consistently shifted phenology by a few days or nodes but rarely conferred direct yield benefits. Yield responses were variable and environment-dependent, with one NIL pair exhibiting a consistent penalty in environments with yields above 255 g m^- 2. In contrast, canopy traits showed clearer divergence between NIL pairs, aligning with pleiotropic effects of the <i>FT</i> cluster. These results highlight the utility of NILs for attributing modest but adaptive phenological shifts to defined genomic regions, and suggest that the primary breeding value of these loci lies in fine-tuning crop development to local stress patterns rather than delivering robust yield gains. Stacking early and late alleles may offer breeders a genetic tool to broaden adaptive flexibility, while yield improvement will likely require integration with physiological traits related to resource capture, efficiency and higher reproductive allocation.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-026-01701-5.</p>","PeriodicalId":18769,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Breeding","volume":"46 8","pages":"78"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13442789/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148684823","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Progeny-based genomic selection reveals untapped genetic potential in an underutilized medicinal plant, <i>Perilla frutescens</i>.","authors":"Sei Kinoshita, Kengo Sakurai, Takahiro Tsusaka, Miki Sakurai, Kenta Shirasawa, Sachiko Isobe, Hiroyoshi Iwata","doi":"10.1007/s11032-026-01700-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11032-026-01700-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite their substantial therapeutic value, medicinal plants have undergone limited genetic improvement through breeding because of the scarcity of expert breeders. Moreover, quantifying bioactive compounds is expensive. Genomic selection, which leverages genome-wide markers to predict breeding values and assemble favorable alleles, offers a practical way to unlock latent genetic potential. As a model case, we evaluated genomic selection in red perilla (<i>Perilla frutescens</i>). Building on previous work, we implemented a cross-selection strategy that prioritized segregation variance by selecting crosses based on predicted additive genotypic values of the progeny, and evaluated its effectiveness through actual crossing experiments targeting three key medicinal compounds. Several genomic selection-based crosses produced G₂ progeny with high perillaldehyde and rosmarinic acid contents and broad phenotypic variation under the tested field condition. The best individual derived from the genomic selection-based crosses exhibited nearly twofold higher levels of two target compounds relative to the existing cultivar 'Sekiho'. Because only one phenotypically selected cross was included, this experiment was not designed to provide a statistical comparison between genomic and phenotypic selection. Instead, it serves as an empirical case study demonstrating the application of progeny-based cross selection in an underutilized medicinal plant breeding program.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-026-01700-6.</p>","PeriodicalId":18769,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Breeding","volume":"46 8","pages":"77"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13433675/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148673847","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"QTL mapping and mining of candidate genes for seed length in soybean.","authors":"Ze Gao, Kunran Li, Kunyong Zhang, Bo Hu, Wen-Xia Li, Hailong Ning","doi":"10.1007/s11032-026-01697-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11032-026-01697-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Soybean seed length (SL) is a key agronomic trait affecting both seed yield and appearance quality and is controlled by a complex interplay of multiple genes and environmental factors. Therefore, identifying major loci or genes associated with SL is critical for soybean molecular breeding. Phenotypic measurements of SL were conducted across three environments using a four‑way recombinant inbred line (FW‑RIL) population of 144 lines, along with their parental accessions.Linkage analysis identified 26 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for SL. Candidate genes were predicted within the qSL-5-6 interval, which was consistently detected across multiple environments and analytical methods. Functional annotation, sequence variation, and haplotype analyses identified the tightly linked genes <i>Glyma.05G238900</i> and <i>Glyma.05G239100</i> as promising candidates for soybean SL that require further functional validation.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-026-01697-y.</p>","PeriodicalId":18769,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Breeding","volume":"46 8","pages":"76"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13428729/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148664266","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genome-wide association analysis revealed that <i>BnaGRP3</i>-A03 regulates flowering time in <i>Brassica napus</i>.","authors":"Zhichao Mei, Xingru Xiang, Xin He, Zhongsong Liu, Ping Qiu, Lunwen Qian","doi":"10.1007/s11032-026-01696-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11032-026-01696-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Flowering time serves as the critical agronomic trait substantially affecting rapeseed (<i>Brassica napus</i> L.) production and adaptability. However, the genetic mechanisms related to flowering time modulation within rapeseed are not fully explored. The present work identified a new flowering time regulator, <i>BnaGRP3</i>-A03, through the genome-wide association study (GWAS) carried out using 157 <i>Brassica napus</i> accessions. Compared with those harboring <i>BnaGRP3</i>-A03-Hap1, those harboring <i>BnaGRP3</i>-A03-Hap2 at this locus flowered significantly earlier. Furthermore, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knock-out (KO) of <i>BnaGRP3</i> in the semi-winter cultivar Zhongshuang 6 consistently resulted in an early-flowering phenotype, confirming that it negatively regulated flowering. Comparative transcriptome analysis of CK and <i>bnagrp3</i> mutant inbred lines revealed substantial alterations in the circadian clock and abscisic acid (ABA) response-related gene levels. Specifically, the mutants presented decreased expression of core morning element genes (<i>BnaLHY</i> and <i>BnaCCA1</i>) and increased expression of evening element genes (<i>BnaTOC1</i> and <i>BnaPRR5/7</i>). Furthermore, exogenous ABA application rescued the early-flowering phenotype, suggesting that ABA acts as a key downstream component. Our results demonstrate that <i>BnaGRP3</i> may negatively modulate <i>B. napus</i> flowering time through modulating ABA signaling and circadian clock. The above findings provide genetic insights into the molecular network that controls flowering time while identifying <i>BnaGRP3</i> as the candidate molecular breeding target for early-maturing rapeseed species.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-026-01696-z.</p>","PeriodicalId":18769,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Breeding","volume":"46 8","pages":"75"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13427690/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148653629","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"BipolarisSSRDb: an integrated microsatellite marker resource for genomic insights into <i>Bipolaris</i> genus, pathogenic for cereal crops.","authors":"Abhijeet Shankar Kashyap, Nazia Manzar, Neeraj Budhlakoti, Nitesh Kumar Sharma, Alok Kumar Srivastava, Girish Kumar Jha","doi":"10.1007/s11032-026-01693-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11032-026-01693-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Bipolaris</i> species are major fungal pathogens responsible for foliar blights in cereals, notably <i>B. sorokiniana</i>, <i>B. maydis</i>, and <i>B. oryzae</i>. Despite their substantial negative impact in crops, molecular markers such as Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR) have remained scarce for this genus, limiting progress in population genetics, epidemiological surveillance, virulence which indirectly could affect breeding for disease resistance. Here, we present BipolarisSSRDb, an indigenously developed, web-based SSR marker database for the <i>Bipolaris</i> genus. The database integrates 12,382 SSR loci mined from genome assemblies of three key species, along with locus-specific primers, motif details, and genomic context. The architecture of the database supports intuitive browsing, visualization, and primer retrieval. Experimental validation confirmed specificity and polymorphism for many of the selected markers. BipolarisSSRDb enables high-throughput marker selection for diagnostics including strain differentiation, and population studies. To the best of our knowledge, BipolarisSSRDb represents the first dedicated SSR marker database developed exclusively for <i>Bipolaris</i> species, providing a genome-wide SSR loci and primer information, for genomics research in India. The database is freely accessible at www.biopolarisdb.fwh.is.</p>","PeriodicalId":18769,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Breeding","volume":"46 7","pages":"72"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13373150/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148471846","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Suitability and effectiveness of marker-assisted selection in soybeans under Asian soybean rust pressure.","authors":"Claudio Guilherme Portela de Carvalho, Cosme Damião Cruz, Carlos Alberto Arrabal Arias, Aaron Joel Lorenz","doi":"10.1007/s11032-026-01694-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11032-026-01694-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Quantitative trait loci (QTL) may explain only a small portion of the phenotypic variation of a trait, limiting their use in breeding programs. This study assessed the effectiveness of marker-assisted selection (MAS) in the F2 population under Asian soybean rust (ASR) pressure for identifying promising F2:5 progenies, even when QTL only explain a small proportion of the phenotypic variation. In addition, we identified SNPs which influence the predictive ability of genomic selection (GS) models to assess whether MAS may be a suitable approach for selecting superior progenies. Evaluated traits included seed yield (SY), days to maturity (DM), days to flowering (DF), plant height (PH), and 50-seed weight (50SW). QTL were identified via simple interval mapping, and genomic predictions were generated using G-BLUP. Models including SNPs associated with QTL on chromosomes 6 and 16 performed as well as or better than genome-wide SNP-based models, indicating that MAS may be a suitable approach. Chromosome 6 was more strongly associated with SY, DM, DF, and PH, while chromosome 16 was associated with 50SW. The CC (EMB-235706-CT on chromosome 6) and AA (EMB-227730-AG on chromosome 16) genotypes in the F2 population showed higher SY and 50SW in F2:5, along with reduced DM, DF, and PH, particularly in the presence of major-effect genomic regions, despite some QTL explaining less than 30% of phenotypic variation. These findings support the development of soybean cultivars with improved agronomic performance for managing ASR.</p>","PeriodicalId":18769,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Breeding","volume":"46 7","pages":"71"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13341576/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148412378","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genome-wide characterization and association analysis of the maize <i>MAP4K</i> gene family identify candidate loci for stress resilience and yield improvement.","authors":"Neng He, Zhiwei Wang, Bing Xiang, Huanhuan Chen, Wei Zhou, Xiaopeng Sun, Xi Wu, Juliana Erika de Carvalho Teixeira Yassitepe, Yanli Xiang, Mingqiu Dai","doi":"10.1007/s11032-026-01691-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11032-026-01691-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase kinase (MAP4K) cascade components are versatile signaling integrators in plants, yet their agronomic relevance in crops remains largely unexplored. Here, we systematically characterized 11 maize <i>MAP4K</i> genes through genome-wide identification, expression profiling, candidate-gene association mapping, and network-based analyses. Genomic analysis suggested that the current composition of the <i>ZmMAP4K</i> family was shaped by both whole-genome duplication/segmental duplication and dispersed duplication, accompanied by substantial divergence in spatiotemporal and stress-responsive expression patterns. Association analyses across 23 agronomic and stress-related traits revealed significant functional diversification within the family. Notably, <i>ZmMAP4K2</i> emerged as a multi-stress-associated locus, as different variants within this gene were associated with salt tolerance and southern leaf blight (SLB) resistance, respectively. Furthermore, natural variation in <i>ZmMAP4K4</i> was strongly associated with drought survival, whereas a favorable allele of <i>ZmMAP4K10</i>, characterized by higher transcriptional activity, was associated with increased kernel thickness and other yield traits. Haplotype analyses identified favorable allelic combinations for stress-related traits, while multi-locus evaluation of stress-associated variants revealed genotype combinations with enhanced resilience to multiple stresses and no evident penalties on major yield-related traits. Finally, predictive regulatory and protein-protein interaction networks provided putative molecular contexts for key <i>ZmMAP4Ks</i> in both stress adaptation and yield formation. Together, this study highlights the agronomic potential of the maize <i>MAP4K</i> family, offering specific candidate loci and allelic combinations for future functional validation and trait pyramiding.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-026-01691-4.</p>","PeriodicalId":18769,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Breeding","volume":"46 7","pages":"68"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13332918/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148391484","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Segregating BC₂F₁ interspecific hybrids between <i>Brassica napus</i> and <i>B. nigra</i> reveal a major effect locus for blackleg resistance on chromosome B2.","authors":"Paula Vasquez-Teuber, Roman Gaebelein, Jessica L Soyer, Thierry Rouxel, Jacqueline Batley, Annaliese S Mason","doi":"10.1007/s11032-026-01690-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11032-026-01690-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Blackleg (Phoma, <i>Leptosphaeria maculans</i>) is one of the most important diseases affecting rapeseed (<i>Brassica napus</i>, 2n = AACC) worldwide. Although a number of major blackleg resistance genes have been identified in <i>B. napus</i>, finding novel sources of resistance is critical in dealing with this rapidly evolving fungal pathogen. Black mustard (<i>Brassica nigra</i>, 2n = BB) is a highly resistant wild relative species for which at least one blackleg resistance gene has been described (<i>Rlm10</i> on chromosome B4), but which has been rarely investigated as a source of blackleg resistance for introgression breeding (probably because it is self-incompatible, heterozygous, difficult to hybridize with <i>B. napus</i> and until recently lacked the genetic and genomic resources available for the <i>Brassica</i> A- and C-genome species). We produced allohexaploid hybrids (2n = AABBCC) between <i>B. napus</i> and <i>B. nigra</i> followed by two generations of backcrossing to develop a BC₂F₁ population segregating for inheritance of specific B-genome chromosomes from <i>B. nigra</i>. This population was phenotyped for blackleg resistance using a cotyledon test with blackleg isolate \"JN2\" (<i>AvrLm4-7</i>, <i>5-9</i>, <i>6</i>, <i>8</i>, <i>10 A-B</i>, <i>11</i>, <i>S-Lep2</i>) and genotyped with B-genome chromosome-specific markers. Resistance segregated with the presence of chromosome B2 (<i>p</i> < 0.0001). Future work will target the identification or production of introgression lines, and recovery of this genetic locus from the B genome in a rapeseed (2n = AACC) genomic background. Our work highlights the potential of <i>B. nigra</i> and <i>Brassica</i> wild relatives as sources of novel biotic stress resistances.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-026-01690-5.</p>","PeriodicalId":18769,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Breeding","volume":"46 7","pages":"69"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13332926/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148391420","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A zinc finger protein transcription factor PpZFP6 controls flavonoid biosynthesis in peach by regulating a UDP-glucose 3-O-glucosyltransferase gene <i>PpUGT73C3</i> expression.","authors":"Ziyan Zhao, Jiayi Du, Hangling Bie, Siyu Chen, Umar Hayat, Weichao Fang, Ke Cao","doi":"10.1007/s11032-026-01692-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11032-026-01692-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The flavonoid content of peaches has gradually decreased as peach cultivars have been domesticated as part of their evolutionary process, and this reduction is driven by the fact that some flavonoids impart a bitter taste to the fruit. This has resulted in a gradual decrease in flavonoid content as the peach fruit matures during the developmental stages across most current peach cultivars. In this study, we first analyzed changes in flavonoid content among three peach varieties during different fruit developmental stages. We found that 75 days after full blooming was the stage when flavonoid content exhibited the most significant increase. We also performed transcriptome analysis on the fruit samples, screening out 77 differentially expressed genes between the two varieties with different flavonoid accumulation patterns. Combined with the results of previous association analysis, a glycosyltransferase gene, <i>PpUGT73C3</i>, was identified to be a candidate involving flavonoid synthesis. Transient transformation assays demonstrated that both overexpression and silencing of <i>PpUGT73C3</i> significantly alter flavonoid accumulation, confirming that <i>PpUGT73C3</i> positively regulates flavonoid biosynthesis in peach fruits. Additionally, <i>PpZFP6</i>, a gene encoding a zinc finger protein and mapping to chromosome 3, can influence the glycosylation modification of flavonoids by regulating the promoter activity of <i>PpUGT73C3</i>, ultimately controlling flavonoid accumulation in peach fruit. This study preliminarily clarified the molecular regulatory network of <i>PpUGT73C3</i> in peach flavonoid metabolism, laying a research foundation for the breeding of functional fruit cultivars and the development of relevant regulatory strategies.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-026-01692-3.</p>","PeriodicalId":18769,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Breeding","volume":"46 7","pages":"70"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13332907/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148391438","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identification of two QTLs and development of KASP molecular markers for seed coat cracking tolerance in peanut (<i>Arachis hypogaea</i> L.).","authors":"Juan Wang, Feiyan Qi, Ziqi Sun, Mengmeng Wang, Ruifang Zhao, Hongfei Liu, Xiao Wang, Ziqiang Mo, Jing Xu, Hua Liu, Li Qin, Stefano Pavan, Zhongxin Zhang, Xiaobo Wang, Wenzhao Dong, Zheng Zheng, Xinyou Zhang","doi":"10.1007/s11032-026-01689-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11032-026-01689-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The peanut seed coat serves as a vital protective layer, but the occurrence of fine cracks breaches this integrity, thereby impairing visual quality and elevating the risk of pathogen infection and postharvest mycotoxin contamination. However, knowledge on genetic factors underlying seed coat cracking (SCC) tolerance remains limited. In this study, a population of 521 recombinant inbred line (RIL) was used to identify genetic regions associated with SCC tolerance across three environments. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping identified two stable QTLs on chromosomes 7 and 16, <i>qSCCA07</i> and <i>qSCCA16</i>, explaining 3.91%-11.83% and 3.63%-7.43% of phenotypic variation, respectively. Besides, the two QTL regions were refined to 272.90 kb and 626.75 kb, respectively, by constructing a high-density genetic map using Kompetitive Allele-Specific PCR (KASP) markers. The QTL-linked markers <i>YZ9102_chr07_1027286</i> and <i>YZ9102_chr16_12140367</i> were validated in the RIL population and a germplasm collection. Overall, genomic regions and molecular markers reported in this study provided novel insights into the genetic basis of SCC tolerance, and basis for marker-assisted selection.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-026-01689-y.</p>","PeriodicalId":18769,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Breeding","volume":"46 7","pages":"67"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13328760/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148391440","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}