Abstract

Nitrogen (N) deficiency will severely affect many metabolic pathways and physiological progresses during maize (Zea mays L.) growth and change of anthesis-silking interval (ASI) is one of the most serious consequences. To realize the genetic basis of ASI, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population consisting of 239 RILs, derived from the cross between Mo17 and Huangzao4, was used to identify the quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling ASI under different N environments. As a result, 6 QTLs were detected under high N environment on chromosome 3, 6, 7 and 8 and could explain total 53.67% of phenotypic variance. While, under low N environment, only 3 QTLs were identified on chromosome 6, 7 and 8, and they could account for total 31.87% of phenotypic variance. The two QTLs Qasihn6-1 and Qasihn3-1, identified under high N environment, were quite near to their linked marker Phi077 and Bnlg197, respectively, with less than 1 cM of genetic distance. These results are beneficial for understanding the genetic basis of ASI in maize.

Key words: Maize (Zea mays L.), recombinant inbred line (RIL), quantitative trait locus (QTL), anthesis-silking interval (ASI), nitrogen environment.

Abbreviation

Abbreviations: ASI, Anthesis-silking interval; RIL, recombinant inbred line; QTL,quantitative trait locus; N, nitrogen; F₂, second filial; SSR, simple sequence repeat;HNE, high nitrogen environment; LNE, low nitrogen environment; DS, days to silking; DP, days to pollen; CIM, composite interval mapping; LOD, log10 of odds ratio; MAS, marker-assisted selection; CV, coefficient of variation; SD, standard deviation .