Three main genetic regions for grain development revealed through QTL detection and meta-analysis in maize

Grain weight is one of the three direct yield components, being developed through a dynamic process of grain filling in maize. In this study, 258 recombinant inbred lines derived from a cross between a dent corn and a popcorn inbred were evaluated for grain fresh and dry weight at 10, 20, 30, and 40 days after pollination (DAP) and the activities of ADP-Glc pyrophosphorylase (AGPP), granule-bound starch synthase (GBSS), and soluble starch synthase (SSS) at 30 DAP. Grain-filling rate (GFR) and increasing rate of fresh weight (FWIR) were calculated during all periods. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping was conducted for all traits. Meta-QTL (mQTL) was revealed by meta-analysis using BioMercator. Totally, 161 QTL were detected for six traits. QTL on chromosomes 1, 7, and 10 were detected in most cases, with 43, 54, and 28 QTL, respectively. For each trait, 1-4 QTL were detected but no QTL for GBSS. Three mQTL at bins 7.02-7.03, 1.03-1.04, and 10.05-10.06 included 47, 24, and 23 QTL detected in this study. Together with 28 QTL for grain weight detected in our previous research, they included 53, 28, and 25 QTL, respectively. Five identified expressed sequence tags (EST), five candidate genes with related functions, and QTL for grain weight in other research were co-located in these regions. It is worth concentrating further research on these regions to develop near-isogenic lines (NILs) of common QTL and their chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSL). Also, cloning and function validation for co-located EST and candidate genes could facilitate identification of genes for grain development and final weight.