Identification of microsatellite markers associated with genomic regions controlling proline and fructan in bread wheat cultivars (Triticum aestivum L.) under cold stress

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Plant Genetics and Breeding, College of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

2 Professor, Department of Plant Breeding and Biotechnology, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran and Institute of Biotechnology, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran

10.22103/jab.2025.23673.1579

Abstract

Objective
Cold stress as one of the most limiting factors in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production, significantly reduces the yield of this strategic crop. Identifying molecular markers associated with genomic regions controlling traits related to cold stress tolerance such as the accumulation of protective metabolites like proline and fructan is therefore of great importance. This study aimed to investigate the genetic structure and to perform association analysis between simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and physiological traits related to cold stress tolerance in a diverse panel of bread wheat genotypes. The goal was to detect significant associations between SSR markers and traits related to cold tolerance, ultimately contributing to the development of functional markers for wheat breeding programs aimed at enhancing low-temperature stress tolerance.
Materials and methods
Seeds of 70 bread wheat genotypes were vernalized and grown in a completely randomized design with three replications under greenhouse conditions. At the early heading stage (Zadoks GS41-49), plants were exposed separately to +8°C (as normal conditions) and -2°C (as cold stress conditions). After tremperature treatment, proline and fructan contents were measured in plant genotypes. To determine the population’s genetic structure and detect possible admixtures, SSR marker data were analyzed via Bayesian approach in STRUCTURE software v2.3.4. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) and association analysis between SSR markers and physiological traits (proline and fructan contents under normal and cold stress conditions) were performed using the mixed linear model (MLM) in TASSEL software (v2.1.(
Results
A significant difference was observed in the amount of proline and fructan between studied wheat genotypes and temperature levels. Analysis of the population structure based on the data of 24 SSR markers showed that 70 genotypes were subdivided into three subgroups; the first group consiste of 20 genotype, the second group consiste of 27 genotype, and the third group consiste of 23 genotypes. Based on Linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis, 0.91% of possible pairs SSR markers were absolutely in linkage disequilibrium. The results of association analysis revealed eight SSR loci that significantly associated with the amount of proline and fructan content. In this context, Xgwm44 showed the strongest relation with the proline trait under cold stress conditions.
Conclusions
SSR markers, especially Xgwm44 and Xgwm319, have high value for use in marker-assisted selection in wheat breeding.

Keywords

References

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Agricultural Biotechnology Journal
Volume 17, Issue 3
August 2025
Pages 153-176

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