Identification of Quantitative Trait Loci Controlling Ethylene Production in Germinating Seeds in Maize (Zea mays L.)

Abstract

Plant seed germination is a crucial developmental event that has significant effects on seedling establishment and yield production. This process is controlled by multiple intrinsic signals, particularly phytohormones. The gaseous hormone ethylene stimulates seed germination; however, the genetic basis of ethylene production in maize during seed germination remains poorly understood. In this study, we quantified the diversity of germination among 14 inbred lines representing the parental materials corresponding to multiple recombinant inbred line (RIL) mapping populations. Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling ethylene production were then identified in germinating seeds from an RIL population constructed from two parental lines showing differences in both germination speed and ethylene production during germination. To explore the possible genetic correlations of ethylene production with other traits, seed germination and seed weight were evaluated using the same batch of samples. On the basis of high-density single nucleotide polymorphism-based genetic linkage maps, we detected three QTLs for ethylene production in germinating seeds, three QTLs for seed germination, and four QTLs for seed weight, with each QTL explaining 5.8%-13.2% of the phenotypic variation of the trait. No QTLs were observed to be co-localized, suggesting that the genetic bases underlying the three traits are largely different. Our findings reveal three chromosomal regions responsible for ethylene production during seed germination, and provide a valuable reference for the future investigation of the genetic mechanism underlying the role of the stress hormone ethylene in maize germination control under unfavourable external conditions. Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most important food crops worldwide and is widely used as genetic research material for studying various traits. Seed germination is a developmental event that is crucial for plant propagation. Uniform seed germination and seedling emergence are prerequisites for high yield production in corn. Germination is initiated following the imbibition of water by quiescent dry seeds and is completed following the protrusion of the radicle through the seed coat and endosperm 1 . This process is regulated by sophisticated endogenous plant components as well as environmental factors 2-6 .Intensive exploration of the mechanism underlying germination in the model plant Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) has revealed the pivotal roles of plant hormones and other signalling molecules in this complicated process 2,4,5,7-11 . Although germination in crop species has not received as much attention as that in Arabidopsis, early findings in maize using mutants that are deficient in or insensitive to abscisic acid (ABA) 12-14 have facilitated the establishment of a major concept in germination: that the balance between ABA and bioactive gibberellins (GA) and not the actual amount of each hormone is the primary factor that determines seed germination vigor 2,5,15,16 . Post-genomic technologies ...

Application of Methionine Increases the Germination Rate of Maize Seeds by Triggering Multiple Phenylpropanoid Biosynthetic Genes at Transcript Levels

“…For example, the upregulation of ACCO5 was observed to be induced upon the methionine treatment at 24 and 36 h (Figure 7c). It has been reported that ethylene promotes seed germination in both Arabidopsis and other species [32,33]. Thus, we speculate that ethylene could be involved in improving germination via the application of methionine.…”

Effect Of Negative Temperature Shock On The Primary Rezistance Of Maize Hybrids

“…Thus, NTS applied to seeds before germination then retained seedling growth at the optimal temperature in some hybrids, although the latter demonstrated a relatively high percentage of germination after NTS. The obtained different results on the effect of seed pretreatment with NTS on subsequent germination rate at the optimum temperature, on the one hand, and on the growth of seedlings under optimal conditions, on the other hand, can probably be explained by the properties of parental forms used for selection (Borozan et al 2021), or these differences may be related to the role of endogenous phytohormones (Kong et al 2020), involved in respective processes. germination after NTS in hybrids of the 1st zone was 69.0-62.2 %, in hybrids of the 2nd zone -57.2-52.5 %, and the hybrids of the 3rd zone had the lowest degree of germination -45.3-39.3 %.…”

Class III Peroxidases in Response to Multiple Abiotic Stresses in Arabidopsis thaliana Pyrenean Populations

“…Different abiotic stresses can restrain the proper germination of seeds, which may impact the early seedling establishment and even later processes, such as delaying the bolting stage [ 38 ]. Relative to the environmental conditions, seeds may germinate faster so the plant can grow under preferential conditions, or they may slow their germination pending future favorable conditions [ 39 ].…”