Henkrar Fatima, El Gataa Zakaria, Lahrichi Khaoula, Tadesse Wuletaw
Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology and Physiology, Center of Plant and Microbial Biotechnology, Biodiversity and Environment, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat, Morocco.
The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Rabat, Morocco.
PLoS One. 2025 Aug 8;20(8):e0329681. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0329681. eCollection 2025.
Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a primary staple crop globally and holds particular significance in the West Asia and North Africa region, where it plays a central role in food security and dietary intake. However, rising temperatures, decreased precipitation, and other climate-related stresses increasingly threaten local production. Understanding the genetic basis of agronomic traits is essential for developing high-yielding wheat varieties under harsh conditions. In this study, 191 spring bread wheat genotypes developed by ICARDA for drought and heat tolerance were evaluated across seven environments in Morocco, Sudan, Egypt, and Lebanon for five key agronomic traits. A genome-wide association study using 12,954 SNPs identified 37 significant marker-trait associations (MTAs). The highest number of MTAs was detected for plant height (19), followed by days to maturity (14), thousand kernel weight (5) and three each for days to heading and grain yield. Among these, five MTAs were associated with multiple traits, particularly days to heading, days to maturity and plant height. These included tplb0057m23_716 (5A), AX-94506854 (1B), RAC875_c17628_867 (2A), and wsnp_Ra_rep_c69692_67234463 (3A), validated by both BLINK and FarmCPU models. Candidate genes associated to key traits were identified, such as TraesCS5A02G261900 (tplb0057m23_716), regulating flowering time, pollen maturation and plant height, and TraesCS2D02G583000 (tplb0049b24_1152), associated to grain yield through its role in grain peroxidase activity. Other notable genes include TraesCS5B02G022300 (AX-94476767), encoding N-carbamoyl putrescine amidohydrolase (TaNPLP1-1), involved in abiotic stress tolerance, and TraesCS7D02G102000 (wsnp_Ex_c2054_3852564), associated with cuticular wax biosynthesis for drought and heat protection. Further validation of these SNPs, using inbred lines tested across diverse environments, is required. Once validated, these SNP-derived KASP markers will support breeding for heat- and drought-tolerant lines with desirable agronomic traits.
面包小麦（Triticum aestivum L.）是全球主要的主食作物，在西亚和北非地区具有特殊意义，在该地区的粮食安全和饮食摄入方面发挥着核心作用。然而，气温上升、降水减少以及其他与气候相关的胁迫日益威胁着当地的小麦生产。了解农艺性状的遗传基础对于培育在恶劣条件下高产的小麦品种至关重要。在本研究中，对国际干旱地区农业研究中心（ICARDA）培育的191个具有耐旱和耐热性的春面包小麦基因型，在摩洛哥、苏丹、埃及和黎巴嫩的七个环境中进行了五个关键农艺性状的评估。一项使用12,954个单核苷酸多态性（SNP）的全基因组关联研究，鉴定出37个显著的标记 - 性状关联（MTA）。检测到与株高相关的MTA数量最多（19个），其次是成熟期天数（14个）、千粒重（5个），抽穗期天数和籽粒产量各有3个。其中，5个MTA与多个性状相关，特别是抽穗期天数、成熟期天数和株高。这些包括tplb0057m23_716（5A）、AX - 94506854（1B）、RAC875_c17628_867（2A）和wsnp_Ra_rep_c69692_67234463（3A），经BLINK和FarmCPU模型验证。鉴定出了与关键性状相关的候选基因，如调控开花时间、花粉成熟和株高的TraesCS5A02G261900（tplb0057m23_716），以及通过其在籽粒过氧化物酶活性中的作用与籽粒产量相关的TraesCS2D02G583000（tplb0049b24_1152）。其他值得注意的基因包括编码参与非生物胁迫耐受性的N - 氨甲酰腐胺酰胺水解酶（TaNPLP1 - 1）的TraesCS5B02G022300（AX - 94476767），以及与用于干旱和耐热保护的表皮蜡质生物合成相关的TraesCS7D02G102000（wsnp_Ex_c2054_3852564）。需要使用在不同环境中测试的自交系对这些SNP进行进一步验证。一旦验证，这些源自SNP的竞争性等位基因特异性PCR（KASP）标记将支持培育具有理想农艺性状的耐热和耐旱品系。
