Molecular Breeding最新文献

{"title":"Genome-wide association analysis of yield-related traits and identification of candidate genes in Sugarcane (<i>Saccharum spontaneum</i> L.).","authors":"Lijun Zhang, Meixing Xie, Ganfeng Zhuo, Zhen Wang, Xiping Yang","doi":"10.1007/s11032-026-01652-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11032-026-01652-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sugarcane (<i>Saccharum</i> spp.) is the primary source of global sugar production, contributing for approximately 80% of the world's sucrose output. Despite its economic importance, the genetic basis underlying key agronomic traits in sugarcane remains largely uncharacterized. In this study, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to investigate the genetic architecture of yield-related traits, including stalk length, stalk diameter, internode number, and single stalk weight, in a diverse panel of 251 wild sugarcane accessions (<i>S. spontaneum</i>). We identified 67 significant quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with yield using three GAPIT models (MLM, FarmCPU, and BLINK), of which 19 were stably detected. These QTLs explained 0.42%-57.96% of the phenotypic variation. Our results indicated that candidate genes in QTLs associated with single stalk weight were mainly enriched in metabolic pathways, including brassinosteroid biosynthesis and ubiquitin‑mediated proteolysis, whereas those for stalk length were enriched in pathways involved in cell wall biosynthesis. Additionally, candidate genes in QTLs associated with stalk diameter and internode number exhibited enrichment in functional categories related to arabinose kinase activity and nitrate transport, respectively. In summary, these findings not only elucidate the genetic bases of yield-related traits in sugarcane but also provide valuable genomic resources for molecular breeding, thereby accelerating varietal improvement and enhancing sugarcane yield.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-026-01652-x.</p>","PeriodicalId":18769,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Breeding","volume":"46 4","pages":"29"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13022120/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147574544","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":"Development and validation of KASP markers for powdery mildew resistance in Korean naked barley using QTL-seq.","authors":"Jin-Cheon Park, Young-Mi Yoon, Chang-Hyun Lee, On-Sook Hur","doi":"10.1007/s11032-026-01649-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11032-026-01649-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Powdery mildew (PM), caused by <i>Blumeria graminis</i> f. sp. <i>hordei</i>, is a destructive fungal disease affecting barley (<i>Hordeum vulgare</i> L.), particularly under warm and humid conditions. Developing resistant cultivars through molecular marker-assisted selection (MAS) represents an eco-friendly and sustainable strategy for disease control. However, validated molecular markers for PM resistance in naked barley remain limited. In this study, quantitative trait locus-sequencing (QTL-seq) was conducted using two independent parental combinations, Nurichal (susceptible) and Jeonju144 (resistant), to identify genomic regions associated with PM resistance in Korean naked barley. A consistent QTL region was detected on chromosome 1 H, within which 40 Kompetitive Allele-Specific PCR (KASP) markers were developed based on gene-associated sequence variants. Stepwise validation using an F₂ segregating population (<i>n</i> = 244) identified two markers, NPM32 and NPM43, that showed strong and consistent associations with PM resistance. Among them, NPM43 exhibited complete concordance between genotype and phenotype in the evaluated population, indicating its high diagnostic reliability. The associated sequence variant was located within an uncharacterized gene in the barley reference genome. Validation of the KASP marker NPM43 revealed stable performance and a strong association with PM resistance, highlighting its potential utility for MAS in breeding PM-resistant naked barley. This study provides useful genomic resources for marker-based breeding and supports the development of precision breeding strategies for disease resistance in barley.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-026-01649-6.</p>","PeriodicalId":18769,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Breeding","volume":"46 4","pages":"27"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13000032/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147499452","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":"Fine mapping of a novel fruit-length locus <i>Cpfl17.1</i> and development of near-isogenic lines by marker-assisted selection in <i>Cucurbita pepo</i> L.","authors":"Liuqing Sun, Yapei Sun, Xiyan Qiu, Wanlu Chen, Kiros Gebretsadik, Ying Duan, Qunfeng Lou, Changlin Wang, Kailiang Bo","doi":"10.1007/s11032-026-01646-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11032-026-01646-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pumpkin (<i>Cucurbita pepo</i> L.) is an economically important vegetable crop, and fruit size is a key agronomic trait determining its commercial value. Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling fruit length (FL) have been widely studied in other cucurbit species, but few such studies have been reported in pumpkin. In this study, a short-fruited line Jin-GL was crossed with a long-fruited line Nei. The F₂ population displayed continuous fruit-length variation (5-25 cm). When classified using the F₁ mean FL (approximately 11 cm) as a threshold, the F₂ individuals showed a segregation of 191 short vs. 79 long (191:79; close to 3:1), supporting the presence of a major-effect locus. Then, we fine mapped the locus, designated <i>Cpfl17.1</i>, into a 21.6 kb interval. To construct the near-isogenic lines (NILs), three generations of backcrossing the F₁ to each parent were developed. The flanking markers InDel17-8 and InDel17-13 were used for foreground selection, and a total of 101 InDel markers was selected with good polymorphism between two parental lines for background selection which had relatively uniform distribution across 20 chromosomes. The proportion of recurrent parent genome (PRPG) of the NILs is larger than 98%. And the FL phenotypes showed significantly differ between the NILs and recurrent parent. Comparison with previously reported fruit-length QTLs showed no positional overlap with <i>Cpfl17.1</i>, suggesting that it may represent an independent locus. Our results demonstrate that <i>Cpfl17.1</i> is a new breeding target for marker-assisted selection, which will facilitate precise introgression of fruit shape-related alleles and accelerate the development of new varieties with improved fruit shape.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-026-01646-9.</p>","PeriodicalId":18769,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Breeding","volume":"46 3","pages":"26"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12965950/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147378056","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":"Accelerated development of rice near-isogenic lines based on rapid generation advance (RGA) and target capture sequencing (TCS).","authors":"Seung-Kyo Jeong, So-Myeong Lee, Jin-Kyung Cha, Hyeonjin Park, Sumin Jo, Ju-Won Kang, Ye Rin An, Woo-Jae Kim, Jong-Hee Lee, Youngho Kwon","doi":"10.1007/s11032-026-01647-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11032-026-01647-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Developing new crop cultivars with enhanced disease resistance, stress tolerance, and superior quality is urgently needed to address climate change and evolving agricultural demands. However, conventional breeding methods, particularly the development of near-isogenic lines (NILs), are notoriously time-consuming and labor-intensive. This study presents an innovative, integrated strategy to accelerate rice NIL development by combining a Rapid Generation Advance (RGA) system, Target Capture Sequencing (TCS), and a bulk DNA-based background selection approach applied at an advanced generation (BC₂F₆). Our strategy successfully established a NIL population within four years, a process traditionally requiring nearly a decade. The developed NILs exhibited a high recurrent parent genome (RPG) recovery rate, averaging 90.8% and reaching up to 97.2%. We validated the successful introgression of target genes, including <i>x</i> <i>a5</i> (bacterial blight resistance) and Pita-2 (blast resistance), through both phenotypic and genotypic analyses. Notably, our RGA system utilized natural short-day conditions, effectively overcoming photoperiod sensitivity constraints in late-maturing cultivars and enabling two generations per year. This integrated strategy provides a scalable and efficient framework that dramatically reduces the time, labor, and costs associated with conventional NIL development while ensuring high precision, offering significant potential to accelerate functional genomics and marker-assisted breeding programs in rice and other major crop species.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-026-01647-8.</p>","PeriodicalId":18769,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Breeding","volume":"46 3","pages":"25"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12957748/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147366081","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":"Dissecting the genetic basis of seed-iron content in Chickpea using a combinatorial approach of QTL-Seq and molecular haplotyping.","authors":"Gourav Singh, Anirban Chakraborty, Sangeeta Singh, Shubham Bhardwaj, Swarup K Parida, Sabhyata Bhatia","doi":"10.1007/s11032-026-01644-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11032-026-01644-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In order to map the QTL(s) and genes regulating the complex seed-iron content (SFC) trait in chickpea, the quantitative trait locus (QTL)-seq approach was used. Whole genome re-sequencing of DNA bulks derived from a mapping population (ICC8261 × 1CC4958) contrasting for SFC led to the identification of three QTLs, [<i>CaqFe4.1</i> (0.10 Mb<i>)</i>, <i>CaqFe4.2</i> (0.54 Mb) and <i>CaqFe7.1</i> (0.83 Mb)] in chickpea. In-silico expression analysis of genes underlying the QTLs revealed their varied levels during stages of seed development. Moreover, estimation of G' values of the SNPs identified in the QTL region revealed a SNP that generated synonymous variant of the <i>MAIN-like-2</i> gene. Haplotype analysis of <i>MAIN</i>-<i>like-2</i> in a diverse panel of chickpea germplasm varying for SFC further exemplified its haplotypes that displayed strong association to this trait. Homology-based protein interaction analysis coupled with quantitative-real time PCR based-expression analysis revealed several co-expressing co-chaperone and heat shock proteins including P23-1, HSP 90.5 and HSP90.6, having well established roles in seed development as protein components of MAIN-like-2 proteins in chickpea. The functional loci as well as the molecular signatures defined in this study have potential to expedite marker assisted breeding of iron-rich chickpea varieties.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-026-01644-x.</p>","PeriodicalId":18769,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Breeding","volume":"46 3","pages":"24"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12950154/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147344691","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":"Multi-omics analysis reveals the regulatory role of <i>CsGA20OX1</i> in GA-mediated parthenocarpy of cucumber.","authors":"Shuai Meng, Kunyang Wang, Qiushuang Han, Yang Xie, Xiaoli Li, Xiaofei Song, Jianhua Jia, Chen Wang, Liying Yan, Pan Guo, Junling Zhang, Jiaojiao Zhang","doi":"10.1007/s11032-026-01635-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11032-026-01635-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Parthenocarpy is an important agronomic trait enabling fruit development without fertilization, contributing significantly to stabilizing crop yields under unfavorable pollination conditions. In this study, the non-parthenocarpic cucumber inbred line 'MT' functioned as experimental material. Unpollinated ovaries were treated with a floral dip agent to induce parthenocarpy, and transcriptomic and metabolomic techniques were used to systematically analyze gene expression and metabolic changes before and after treatment. The results demonstrated that the treated ovaries exhibited substantial swelling, with fruit length and diameter reaching 3.02 and 3.12 times that of the control, respectively. Transcriptome analysis identified multiple differentially expressed genes, and enrichment analysis revealed their significant involvement in pathways including \"plant hormone signal transduction\", \"zeatin biosynthesis\", and \"tryptophan metabolism\". Metabolomics analysis further demonstrated elevated levels of active hormones, including auxin (IAA and IBA), gibberellin (GA₄), and cytokinin (dihydrozeatin and <i>cis</i>-zeatin) in parthenocarpic fruits. Integrated multi-omics analysis and quantitative real-time PCR identified seven candidate genes associated with hormone biosynthesis and signaling, among which <i>CsYUCCA6</i>, <i>CsSAUR51</i>, <i>CsAUX22</i>, <i>CsGA20OX1</i>, <i>CsCKX3</i>, and <i>CsCYP735A2</i> were highly expressed in strongly parthenocarpic materials, while <i>CsGA2OX1</i> was highly expressed in non-parthenocarpic materials. Further, <i>Agrobacterium</i>-mediated transient overexpression confirmed the positive regulatory role of <i>CsGA20OX1</i> in cucumber parthenocarpy. This research elucidates the key molecular mechanisms underlying hormonal regulation of parthenocarpy in cucumber and provides valuable genetic resources and theoretical foundation for breeding high-yield and stable-yield cucumber varieties. This study identifies <i>CsGA20OX1</i> as a key regulator of parthenocarpy in cucumber, demonstrating its role in promoting fruit set without fertilization through integrated multi-omics and transient overexpression analysis.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-026-01635-y.</p>","PeriodicalId":18769,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Breeding","volume":"46 3","pages":"23"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12949208/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147326748","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":"Establishment of an efficient <i>Agrobacterium tumefaciens</i>-mediated genetic transformation and regeneration system for <i>Polygonum cuspidatum</i>.","authors":"Fan Lin, Hongping Ma, Jianhui Chen, Shuang Liang, Zhijun Wu, Haili Fan, Shenglong Chen, Xiangqi Kong, Tong Zhang, Hongyan Hu, Hong Wang","doi":"10.1007/s11032-026-01645-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11032-026-01645-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Genetic transformation has been a crucial technology for plant molecular biology research and molecular design breeding, particularly in modern agriculture, and currently gene function validation is mostly conducted on model plants, which severely limits the development of non-model plants such as medicinal plants. <i>Polygonum cuspidatum</i> Sieb. et Zucc. plays a significant role in the treatment of diabetes, cancer, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, however, its optimal regeneration and gene transformation system is still not available. Here, we at first establish an efficient regeneration system for <i>P. cuspidatum</i> as: stems are the most suitable explants for callus induction and regeneration of buds, and N1 medium (MS medium with 1.0 mg/L 1-naphthylacetic acid (NAA), 0.1 mg/L kinetin (KT)) is the most suitable regeneration medium. Then based on this regeneration system, an <i>Agrobacterium tumefaciens</i>-mediated genetic transformation system via callus regeneration (CR) and organ regeneration (OR) is established and optimized as: the stems are immersed in the <i>A. tumefaciens</i> resuspension medium (1/4 MS medium added with 0.02% Silwet L-77) and vacuum infiltrated for 10 min, the optimal co-culture time is 5 days, and the most suitable screening antibiotic is 100 mg/L hygromycin (Hyg). In addition, the practicality of our introduced transformation system is confirmed through the experimental verification of the reporter gene <i>DsRED</i> and two candidate genes: stilbene synthase (<i>PcSTS)</i> and MYB transcription factor (<i>PcMYB62)</i>. In summary, our established system can not only efficiently regenerate and genetically transform <i>P. cuspidatum</i>, a typical non-model but highly valuable plant, but it could also serve as a reference for the construction of other non-model plant transformation systems.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-026-01645-w.</p>","PeriodicalId":18769,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Breeding","volume":"46 3","pages":"20"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12945862/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147326678","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":"Maize CRM-domain family protein CFM1 regulates kernel development via plastid group II intron splicing.","authors":"Xuewu He, Huayang Lv, Zeting Mou, Xuerui He, Hongyu Zhang, Dianyuan Cai, Hanmei Liu, Yangping Li, Yufeng Hu, Yinghong Liu, Yubi Huang, Junjie Zhang","doi":"10.1007/s11032-026-01643-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11032-026-01643-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Embryogenesis in plants is a complex process, and proteins encoded by genes that affect embryo development in maize are typically localized in plastids. In this study, we isolated a maize embryo-specific defective mutant (<i>emb</i>) in which the mutant embryos were arrested at the transition stage and the endosperm size was reduced compared to the wild type (WT). The grain-filling rate of <i>zmcfm1</i> was significantly lower than that of the WT, resulting in a markedly reduced weight of mature grains. The mutant gene <i>ZmCFM1</i> was identified by bulked segregant analysis sequencing and map-based cloning. <i>ZmCFM1</i> encodes a plastid-localized CRM family protein involved in the splicing of group II introns in plastids. The splicing efficiency of the <i>trnA</i>, <i>trnI</i>, <i>trnK</i>, <i>trnV</i>, and <i>rpl2</i> introns in the plastids of <i>zmcfm1</i> was significantly reduced. The impairment of intron splicing disrupts ribosome assembly and plastid protein translation, ultimately causing embryo arrest and lethality.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-026-01643-y.</p>","PeriodicalId":18769,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Breeding","volume":"46 3","pages":"22"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12946571/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147326740","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":"Integration of <i>iaa9-3</i> parthenocarpy and stigma exsertion for hybrid seedless tomato breeding.","authors":"Long Thien Tran, Koichi Sugimoto, Nguyen Van Quan, Tran Dang Xuan, Hiroshi Ezura","doi":"10.1007/s11032-026-01642-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11032-026-01642-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Stigma exsertion was largely eliminated during tomato domestication to promote self-pollination and secure yield. Nevertheless, exserted stigmas can prevent self-pollination and thus have potential utility for hybrid seed production by reducing costs and improving seed purity. Despite this promise, practical applications have remained limited due to the instability of the trait and low hybrid seed yields. Here, we combined stigma exsertion conferred by <i>Style2.1</i> with parthenocarpy induced by the <i>iaa9-3</i> mutation to develop an elite line, APi7-4-5. This line consistently displayed long stigma exsertion together with strong parthenocarpy. Morphological and reproductive analyses demonstrated that APi7-4-5 is a highly effective maternal line for hybrid seed production without emasculation, owing to its unique features: (i) complete inhibition of self-pollination under both greenhouse and field conditions, and (ii) high receptivity to pollen before anthesis, supporting efficient pollen germination and tube growth. In addition, the presence of <i>Style2.1</i> in the F₁ generation further contributes to hybrid performance by preventing self-pollination and thereby enhancing parthenocarpic fruit set in untouched flowers. This semi-dominant effect of <i>Style2.1</i> leads to a higher proportion of seedless fruits and improved uniformity in F₁ hybrids. Collectively, these results establish a feasible strategy for hybrid tomato seed production without emasculation by integrating <i>iaa9-3</i>-mediated parthenocarpy with <i>Style2.1</i>-regulated stigma exsertion. This approach provides a foundation for reducing hybrid seed production costs while improving seed yield and genetic purity in tomato.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-026-01642-z.</p>","PeriodicalId":18769,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Breeding","volume":"46 3","pages":"21"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12946559/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147326722","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":"Allelic variation of carotenoid biosynthesis and degradation genes across worldwide commercial durum wheat (<i>Triticum turgidum</i> ssp. <i>durum</i>) varieties under contrasting water regimes.","authors":"Virginia Garcia-Calabres, Juan B Alvarez, Maria Itria Ibba, Nayelli Hernández-Espinosa, Karim Ammar, Carlos Guzmán","doi":"10.1007/s11032-026-01641-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11032-026-01641-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Carotenoids are the pigments responsible for the yellow colour of durum wheat semolina, a key quality trait for pasta production. This study evaluated 46 commercial durum wheat cultivars grown under irrigated and drought-simulated conditions in the Yaqui Valley (Mexico), measuring yellow pigment content (YPC) and yellow pigment loss (YPL) under simulated processing conditions. Cultivars under the full irrigation system increased YPC (7.3 mg/kg) and reduced YPL (13.3%) compared to cultivars under drip irrigation system or simulated drought (YPC 6.6 mg/kg; YPL 15.3%), indicating that probably water limitation reduces carotenoid accumulation and enhances pigment degradation. Allelic variation in carotenoid biosynthesis genes (<i>PSY-A1</i>, <i>PSY-B1</i>, <i>PDS-B1</i>, <i>ZDS-A1</i>) and degradation genes (<i>LPX-A3</i>, <i>LPX-B1.1</i>) was assessed. <i>Psy-A1o</i>, <i>Psy-B1n</i>, and <i>TdZds-A1.2</i> alleles were associated with higher YPC, while <i>Lpx-B1.1c</i> contributed to lower pigment loss. No significant effects were observed for <i>PDS-B1</i> or <i>LPX-A3</i>, and no cultivar carried all favourable alleles simultaneously, highlighting the potential for further improvement and pyramiding of carotenoid-related traits. This study provides molecular markers and genotype information for breeding programs aimed at improving semolina and pasta colour, offering strategies to enhance pigment retention under contrasting water regimes.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-026-01641-0.</p>","PeriodicalId":18769,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Breeding","volume":"46 3","pages":"19"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12917035/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147271499","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}