Detection of an earliness per se quantitative trait locus in the proximal region of wheat chromosome 5AL

A homoeologous quantitative trait locus to that of eps5L. on barley chromosome 5H was identified in a syntenic region of wheat chromosome 5A. Wheat single chromosome recombinant lines (SCRs) were developed from a cross between 'Chinese Spring' ('Cappelle-Desprez' 5A) and 'Chinese Spring' (Triticum spelta SA), these were grown together with the parental controls under different vernalization and photoperiod regimes. The variation for ear emergence time accelerated heading induced by the T. spelta segment indicated an effect associated with the Xcdo412-Xbcd9 interval. Since no differences between the SCRs and controls in responses to vernalization and photoperiod treatments were detected, this effect was identified as an earliness per se gene, QEet.ocs-5A.2, which may be homoeologous to the eps5L quantitative trait locus of barley. Xbcd926 has been found to be closely linked to the rice flowering time quantitative trait loci, QHd9a or FLTQ2, on chromosome 9, suggesting possible relationships among the quantitative trait loci across wheat, barley and rice genomes.