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Phenotypic sex in salmonids is determined primarily by a genetic male heterogametic system; yet, sex reversal can be accomplished via hormonal treatment. In Tasmanian Atlantic salmon aquaculture, to overcome problems associated with early sexual maturation in males, sex-reversed females are crossed with normal females to produce all female stock. However, phenotypic distinction of sex-reversed females (neo-males) from true males is problematic. We set out to identify genetic markers that could make this distinction. Microsatellite markers from chromosome 2 (Ssa02), to which the sex-determining locus (SEX) has been mapped in two Scottish Atlantic salmon families, did not predict sex in a pilot study of seven families. A TaqMan 64 SNP genome-wide scan suggested SEX was on Ssa06 in these families, and this was confirmed by microsatellite markers. A survey of 58 families in total representing 38 male lineages in the SALTAS breeding program found that 34 of the families had SEX on Ssa02, in 22 of the families SEX was on Ssa06, and two of the families had a third SEX locus, on Ssa03. A PCR test using primers designed from the recently published sdY gene is consistent with Tasmanian Atlantic salmon having a single sex-determining gene that may be located on at least three linkage groups.

Teleost fish exhibit a remarkable diversity in the control of sex determination, offering the opportunity to identify novel differentiation mechanisms and their ecological consequences. Here, we perform GWAS using 4715 fish and 46,501 SNP to map sex determination to three separate genomic locations in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). To characterize each, whole genome sequencing was performed to 30-fold depth of coverage using 20 fish representing each of three identified sex lineages. SNP polymorphism reveals male fish carry a single copy of the male specific region, consistent with an XX/XY or male heterogametric sex system. Haplotype analysis revealed deep divergence between the putatively ancestral locus on chromosome 2, compared with loci on chromosomes 3 and 6. Haplotypes in fish carrying either the chromosome 3 or 6 loci were nearly indistinguishable, indicating a founding event that occurred following the speciation event that defined Salmo salar from other salmonids. These findings highlight the evolutionarily fluid state of sex determination systems in salmonids, and resolve to the sequence level differences in animals with divergent sex lineages.

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SummaryFarmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is a globally important production species, including in Australia where breeding and selection has been in progress since the 1960s. The recent development of SNP genotyping platforms means genome-wide association and genomic prediction can now be implemented to speed genetic gain. As a precursor, this study collected genotypes at 218 132 SNPs in 777 fish from a Tasmanian breeding population to assess levels of genetic diversity, the strength of linkage disequilibrium (LD) and imputation accuracy. Genetic diversity in Tasmanian Atlantic salmon was lower than observed within European populations when compared using four diversity metrics. The distribution of allele frequencies also showed a clear difference, with the Tasmanian animals carrying an excess of low minor allele frequency variants. The strength of observed LD was high at short distances (<25 kb) and remained above background for marker pairs separated by large chromosomal distances (hundreds of kb), in sharp contrast to the European Atlantic salmon tested. Genotypes were used to evaluate the accuracy of imputation from low density (0.5 to 5 K) up to increased density SNP sets (78 K). This revealed high imputation accuracies (0.89-0.97), suggesting that the use of low density SNP sets will be a successful approach for genomic prediction in this population. The long-range LD, comparatively low genetic diversity and high imputation accuracy in Tasmanian salmon is consistent with known aspects of their population history, which involved a small founding population and an absence of subsequent introgression. The findings of this study represent an important first step towards the design of methods to apply genomics in this economically important population.

Background A key developmental transformation in the life of all vertebrates is the transition to sexual maturity, whereby individuals are capable of reproducing for the first time. In the farming of Atlantic salmon, early maturation prior to harvest size has serious negative production impacts. Results We report genome wide association studies (GWAS) using fish measured for sexual maturation in freshwater or the marine environment. Genotypic data from a custom 50 K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array was used to identify 13 significantly associated SNP for freshwater maturation with the most strongly associated on chromosomes 10 and 11. A higher number of associations (48) were detected for marine maturation, and the two peak loci were found to be the same for both traits. The number and broad distribution of GWAS hits confirmed a highly polygenetic nature, and GWAS performed separately within males and females revealed sex specific genetic behaviour for loci co-located with positional candidate genes phosphatidylinositol-binding clathrin assembly protein-like ( picalm) and membrane-associated guanylate kinase, WW and PDZ domain-containing protein 2 ( magi2) . Conclusions The results extend earlier work and have implications for future applied breeding strategies to delay maturation in this important aquaculture species. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-019-5525-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Eucalyptus nitens (Deane & Maiden) Maiden (shining gum) is widely grown for kraft pulp production in many cool temperate regions of the world. Improving the kraft pulp yield of this species is important for increasing plantation profitability, but traditional assessment is slow and expensive. Cellulose content, which is strongly correlated with pulp yield, has been used as an alternative in tree breeding programs. However, a direct measure of cellulose content still relies on wet chemistry, limiting the number of samples that can be processed and the subsequent gains that can be made in a tree breeding program. An indirect method such as near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy provides a large increase in the numbers of samples that can be analysed. In this study, the genetic gains in cellulose content of E. nitens were compared using cellulose content, determined using wet chemistry and predicted by NIR calibrations based on different sampling intensities. Genetic gains based on NIR-predicted cellulose content were high, and a large proportion of the gain was achievable using a direct measure of cellulose. Calibrations were robust and generally could be reliably used across sites. NIR-predicted cellulose is highly heritable, with heritabilities comparable to or better than direct measures of cellulose.