Mapping QTLs associated with chloride accumulation in leaves of oriental tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) using F2:3 population of Basma Seres 31 × SPT 406 cross

Chloride is considered as the most important micronutrient in tobacco production. But excessive amounts of chloride accumulation in leaves of tobacco have many adverse effects on the tobacco quality, such as burning capacity. Identification of quantitative trait loci (QTL) involved in chloride accumulation would be beneficial for the improvement of tobacco quality. The objective of this study was to identify genomic regions associated with chloride accumulation by using a mapping population consists of 225 F2:3 families derived from hybridization between ‘Basma Seres 31’ and ‘SPT 406’ lines. Linkage map was constructed with 23 microsatellite (SSR) and 29 inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) polymorphic markers which covered 570.8 cM of the tobacco genome. Thirty-four of these polymorphic markers were mapped to 7 linkage groups. Distance between two adjacent markers was 17.3 cM. Composite interval mapping (CIM) was used to identify QTLs controlling chloride accumulation. One QTL for chloride accumulation was identified on linkage group 3. The percentage of phenotypic variance (R2) explained by this QTL was 12.7%. A significant association was not found between ISSR markers and chloride accumulation. The outcome of present effort can be a basis for marker aided selection (MAS) in tobacco breeding programs.

Mapping QTLs associated with chloride accumulation in leaves of oriental tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) using F2:3 population of Basma Seres 31 × SPT 406 cross Keywords:

Chloride accumulation , Composite interval mapping , linkage map , Oriental tobacco