An Eight-Parent Multiparent Advanced Generation Inter-Cross Population for Winter-Sown Wheat: Creation, Properties, and Validation

• Published in: G3 : genes - genomes - genetics 2014-09, Vol.4 (9), p.1603-1610
• Main Authors: Mackay, Ian J, Bansept-Basler, Pauline, Barber, Toby, Bentley, Alison R, Cockram, James, Gosman, Nick, Greenland, Andy J, Horsnell, Richard, Howells, Rhian, O’Sullivan, Donal M, Rose, Gemma A, Howell, Phil J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chromosome Mapping; Crosses, Genetic; Disease Resistance; DNA, Plant - genetics; Flowers - physiology; Gene Frequency; Genome, Plant; Genotype; Linkage Disequilibrium; Multiparental Populations; Phenotype; Plant Leaves - genetics; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Quantitative Trait Loci; Reproducibility of Results; Seedlings - genetics; Triticum - genetics; Triticum - physiology
• ISSN: 2160-1836; 2160-1836
• DOI: 10.1534/g3.114.012963

Abstract MAGIC populations represent one of a new generation of crop genetic mapping resources combining high genetic recombination and diversity. We describe the creation and validation of an eight-parent MAGIC population consisting of 1091 F7 lines of winter-sown wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Analyses based on genotypes from a 90,000-single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array find the population to be well-suited as a platform for fine-mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) and gene isolation. Patterns of linkage disequilibrium (LD) show the population to be highly recombined; genetic marker diversity among the founders was 74% of that captured in a larger set of 64 wheat varieties, and 54% of SNPs segregating among the 64 lines also segregated among the eight founder lines. In contrast, a commonly used reference bi-parental population had only 54% of the diversity of the 64 varieties with 27% of SNPs segregating. We demonstrate the potential of this MAGIC resource by identifying a highly diagnostic marker for the morphological character "awn presence/absence" and independently validate it in an association-mapping panel. These analyses show this large, diverse, and highly recombined MAGIC population to be a powerful resource for the genetic dissection of target traits in wheat, and it is well-placed to efficiently exploit ongoing advances in phenomics and genomics. Genetic marker and trait data, together with instructions for access to seed, are available at http://www.niab.com/MAGIC/.