Breeding for boron tolerance in lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) using a high‐throughput phenotypic assay and molecular markers

• Published in: Plant breeding 2018-08, Vol.137 (4), p.492-501
• Main Authors: Rodda, Matthew S., Sudheesh, Shimna, Javid, Muhammad, Noy, Dianne, Gnanasambandam, Annathurai, Slater, Anthony T., Rosewarne, Garry M., Kaur, Sukhjiwan, Varshney, Rajeev
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: abiotic stress tolerance; Boron; Breeding; Genotype & phenotype; Germplasm; Inbreeding; Markers; marker‐assisted selection; molecular markers; Phenotypes; Phenotypic variations; plant breeding; Quantitative trait loci
• ISSN: 0179-9541; 1439-0523
• DOI: 10.1111/pbr.12608

This study describes the identification of a quantitative trait locus (QTL) in the recombinant inbred line population of ILL2024 × ILL6788 and subsequent validation of associated molecular markers. A high‐quality genetic linkage map was constructed with 758 markers that cover 1,057 cM, with an average intermarker distance of 2 cM. QTL analysis revealed a single genomic region on Lc2 to be associated with B tolerance and accounted for up to 76% of phenotypic variation (Vp). The best markers for B tolerance were assessed for their utility in routine breeding applications using validation panels of diverse lentil germplasm and breeding material derived from ILL2024. A marker generated from the dense genetic map of this study was found to be the most accurate of all markers available for B tolerance in lentil, with a success rate of 93% within a large breeding pool derived from ILL2024. However, given the number of the unrelated lines for which the marker–trait association was not conserved, B tolerance screening is still required at later stages to confirm predicted phenotypes.