Genome-wide association study of individual sugar content in fruit of Japanese pear (Pyrus spp.)

Abstract Background Understanding mechanisms of sugar accumulation and composition is essential to determining fruit quality maintaining a desirable balance sugars in plant storage organs. The major mature Rosaceae fruits are sucrose, fructose, glucose, sorbitol. Among these, sucrose fructose have high sweetness, whereas glucose sorbitol low sweetness. Japanese pear has extensive variation individual contents fruit. Increasing total content that high-sweetness target breeding programs. objective this study was identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with traits including accumulation, infer the candidate genes underlying QTLs, assess potential genomic selection for traits. Results We evaluated 10 conducted genome-wide association studies (GWAS) 106 cultivars 17 populations (1112 F1 individuals) using 3484 tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). By implementing mixed linear model Bayesian multiple-QTL GWAS, 56 SNPs were identified. In particular, SNP located close acid invertase gene PPAIV3 on chromosome 7 newly identified 11 had quite large effects respectively. used ‘Golden Delicious’ doubled haploid 13 (GDDH13), an apple reference genome, SNPs. region flanking 11, there tandem repeat early responsive dehydration ( ERD6 )-like transporter might play role phenotypes observed. Conclusions at several loci, QTLs inferred advanced genome information. conserved across Pyrinae genomes, which will be useful further Rosaceae. accuracies best unbiased prediction (GBLUP) relatively (0.67–0.75), suggesting it would possible select individuals having content.