The Genetic Control of Grain Protein Content under Variable Nitrogen Supply in an Australian Wheat Mapping Population

Saba Mahjourimajd; Julian Taylor; Zed Rengel; Hossein Khabaz-Saberi; Haydn Kuchel; Mamoru Okamoto; Peter Langridge

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0159371

The Genetic Control of Grain Protein Content under Variable Nitrogen Supply in an Australian Wheat Mapping Population

PLoS One. 2016 Jul 20;11(7):e0159371. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0159371. eCollection 2016.

Authors

Saba Mahjourimajd¹, Julian Taylor², Zed Rengel³, Hossein Khabaz-Saberi³, Haydn Kuchel^{4

2}, Mamoru Okamoto¹, Peter Langridge²

Affiliations

¹ Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics (ACPFG), The University of Adelaide, PMB1, Glen Osmond, SA 5064, Australia.
² School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Waite Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, PMB 1, Glen Osmond, SA 5064, Australia.
³ Soil Science and Plant Nutrition M087, School of Earth and Environment, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
⁴ Australian Grain Technologies, PMB1, Glen Osmond, SA 5064, Australia.

Abstract

Genetic variation has been observed in both protein concentration in wheat grain and total protein content (protein yield). Here we describe the genetic analysis of variation for grain protein in response to nitrogen (N) supply and locate significant genomic regions controlling grain protein components in a spring wheat population. In total, six N use efficiency (NUE) field trials were carried out for the target traits in a sub-population of doubled haploid lines derived from a cross between two Australian varieties, RAC875 and Kukri, in Southern and Western Australia from 2011 to 2013. Twenty-four putative Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) for protein-related traits were identified at high and low N supply and ten QTL were identified for the response to N for the traits studied. These loci accounted for a significant proportion of the overall effect of N supply. Several of the regions were co-localised with grain yield QTL and are promising targets for further investigation and selection in breeding programs.

MeSH terms

Australia
Chromosome Mapping*
Climate
Crosses, Genetic
Edible Grain / genetics
Haploidy
Nitrogen / pharmacology*
Phenotype
Plant Proteins / metabolism
Quantitative Trait Loci / genetics
Quantitative Trait, Heritable
Seeds / drug effects
Seeds / genetics*
Soil / chemistry
Triticum / drug effects
Triticum / genetics*

Substances

Plant Proteins
Soil
Nitrogen

Grants and funding

One of the authors, HK, is employed by the wheat breeding company, Australian Grain Technologies (AGT) and several questions were asked about the potential role of this commercial relationship. HK also holds the status as an affiliate of the University of Adelaide and his role in the project was as one of the supervisors of SM during her PhD studies. The authors can confirm that “Australian Grain Technologies provided support in the form of salaries for authors [HK], but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section.