Use of genotype-environment interactions to elucidate the pattern of maize root plasticity to nitrogen deficiency

doi:10.1111/jipb.12384

J Integr Plant Biol. ›› 2016, Vol. 58 ›› Issue (3): 242-253.DOI: 10.1111/jipb.12384

• Research Articles • Previous Articles Next Articles

Use of genotype-environment interactions to elucidate the pattern of maize root plasticity to nitrogen deficiency

Pengcheng Li^1,2, Zhongjuan Zhuang^1,3, Hongguang Cai^1,4, Shuai Cheng¹, Ayaz Ali Soomro¹, Zhigang Liu¹, Riliang Gu¹, Guohua Mi¹, Lixing Yuan¹ and Fanjun Chen^1*

¹Key Lab of Plant-Soil Interaction, MOE, Center for Resources, Environment and Food Security, College Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
²Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of the Ministry of Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
³Leading Bio-agricultural Co., Ltd., Qinhuangdao, China
⁴Institute of Agricultural Resource and Environment, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China

Received:2015-05-03 Accepted:2015-08-10 Published:2016-03-18
About author:^*Correspondence: E-mail: caucfj@cau.edu.cn

Abstract

Abstract:

Maize (Zea mays L.) root morphology exhibits a high degree of phenotypic plasticity to nitrogen (N) deficiency, but the underlying genetic architecture remains to be investigated. Using an advanced BC₄F₃ population, we investigated the root growth plasticity under two contrasted N levels and identified the quantitative trait loci (QTLs) with QTL-environment (Q × E) interaction effects. Principal components analysis (PCA) on changes of root traits to N deficiency (ΔLN-HN) showed that root length and biomass contributed for 45.8% in the same magnitude and direction on the first PC, while root traits scattered highly on PC2 and PC3. Hierarchical cluster analysis on traits for ΔLN-HN further assigned the BC₄F₃ lines into six groups, in which the special phenotypic responses to N deficiency was presented. These results revealed the complicated root plasticity of maize in response to N deficiency that can be caused by genotype-environment (G × E) interactions. Furthermore, QTL mapping using a multi-environment analysis identified 35 QTLs for root traits. Nine of these QTLs exhibited significant Q × E interaction effects. Taken together, our findings contribute to understanding the phenotypic and genotypic pattern of root plasticity to N deficiency, which will be useful for developing maize tolerance cultivars to N deficiency.

Key words: Genotype-environment interactions, nitrogen stress, quantitative trait locus, root morphology, root plasticity, Zea mays L

Pengcheng Li, Zhongjuan Zhuang, Hongguang Cai, Shuai Cheng, Ayaz Ali Soomro, Zhigang Liu, Riliang Gu, Guohua Mi, Lixing Yuan, and Fanjun Chen. Use of genotype-environment interactions to elucidate the pattern of maize root plasticity to nitrogen deficiency[J]. J Integr Plant Biol., 2016, 58(3): 242-253.

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Use of genotype-environment interactions to elucidate the pattern of maize root plasticity to nitrogen deficiency

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