Genetic dissection of heterotic loci associated with plant weight by Graded pool-seq in heading Chinese cabbage ( Brassica rapa )

Main conclusion Four heterotic QTL and a heterozygous segment for plant weight were identified by Graded Pool-Seq, QTL-seq and traditional genetic linkage analysis in heading Chinese cabbage. Abstract Heading Chinese cabbage ( Brassica rapa L. spp. pekinensis ) is a cross-pollinated leafy vegetable with significant heterosis. The use of heterosis is important for breeding high-yield Chinese cabbage hybrids. However, the formation and mechanism of heterosis have not been studied. We dissected the molecular mechanism of heterosis of yield-related traits in Chinese cabbage. An F 1 hybrid with high-parent heterosis of yield-related traits was selected and self-pollinated to generate segregating F 2 populations. QTL-seq, Graded Pool-seq (GPS), and traditional genetic linkage analysis were used to identify four heterotic quantitative trait loci (QTL) for plant weight: qPW1.1 , qPW5.1 , qPW7.1 , and qPW8.1 . Traditional genetic linkage analysis over two years showed that qPW8.1 , located in marker A08_S45 (18,172,719) and A08_S85 (18,196,752), was mapped to a 23.5 kb genomic region. QTL qPW8.1 explained 8.6% and 23.6% of the phenotypic variation in plant weight and the total numbers of head leaves, respectively, and contained a heterozygous segment that might control the heterosis of plant weight. The qPW1.1 made an 11.7% phenotypic contribution to plant weight. The qPW7.1 was sensitive to environmental influence and explained 10.7% of the phenotypic variance. QTL qPW5.1 had a significant signal and was located in a genetic region near the centromere showing high heterozygosity. The “pseudo-overdominance” and “synergistic allelic” effects from parent line “XJD4” appear to play an important role in heterosis for plant weight in Chinese cabbage. These results provide a basis for an improved understanding of the molecular mechanism of yield-related traits and their heterosis.