Relationship between Grain Yield and Quality Traits under Optimum and Low-Nitrogen Stress Environments in Tropical Maize

Ertiro, Berhanu Tadesse; Das, Biswanath; Kosgei, Titus; Tesfaye, Amsal Tarekegne; Labuschagne, Maryke; Worku, Mosisa; Olsen, Michael; Chaikam, Vijay; Gowda, Manje

doi:10.3390/agronomy12020438

Cited by 9 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…In our study, the tested bi-parental maize populations exhibited a typical grain quality trait composition with moderate protein (6.8%–10%) and oil (4.5%–6.2%) levels, and a substantial starch content reaching 72.5%. These values are consistent with the general nutritional profile of maize reported in earlier studies ( Dei, 2017 ; Ray et al, 2019 ; Álvarez-Iglesias et al, 2021 ; Ertiro et al, 2022 ; Langyan et al, 2022 ; Wang et al, 2023 ). Targeted breeding could optimize the grain quality traits to meet the requirements of the food and feed industry.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…The annual temperature ranges from 16.0°C to 33.6°C, and the rainfall varies from 545 to 629 mm annually across the two studied seasons. This location lies in a hot, semi-arid region and the soils are well-drained, dark reddish brown to dark red, friable sandy clay to clay (Acri-Rhodic Ferrosols) developed from undifferentiated basement system rocks, predominantly banded gneisses ( Ertiro et al, 2022 ). The DH pop 1 and F 3 pop 2 were evaluated at Kiboko in the main rainy season for two seasons, while F 3 pop 3 and F 3 pop 4 were evaluated for one season.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The application of nitrogenous fertilizer in smallholder farming systems within this region is severely constrained, reported by FAOSTAT (2023) at 4%. The effect of soil nitrogen on maize grain yield, composition and quality has been extensively investigated by numerous researchers ( Worku et al, 2012 ; Biswas and Ma, 2016 ; Zhang et al, 2020 ; Ertiro et al, 2022 ; Ndlovu et al, 2022 ; Hammad et al, 2023 ). Although findings have varied, there is a consensus on the existence of genotypic differences in grain yield and composition among tropical maize genotypes grown under diverse management conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Linkage mapping and genomic prediction of grain quality traits in tropical maize (Zea mays L.)

Ndlovu,

Kachapur,

Beyene

et al. 2024

Front. Genet.

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The suboptimal productivity of maize systems in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is a pressing issue, with far-reaching implications for food security, nutrition, and livelihood sustainability within the affected smallholder farming communities. Dissecting the genetic basis of grain protein, starch and oil content can increase our understanding of the governing genetic systems, improve the efficacy of future breeding schemes and optimize the end-use quality of tropical maize. Here, four bi-parental maize populations were evaluated in field trials in Kenya and genotyped with mid-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. Genotypic (G), environmental (E) and G×E variations were found to be significant for all grain quality traits. Broad sense heritabilities exhibited substantial variation (0.18–0.68). Linkage mapping identified multiple quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for the studied grain quality traits: 13, 7, 33, 8 and 2 QTLs for oil content, protein content, starch content, grain texture and kernel weight, respectively. The co-localization of QTLs identified in our research suggests the presence of shared genetic factors or pleiotropic effects, implying that specific genomic regions influence the expression of multiple grain quality traits simultaneously. Genomic prediction accuracies were moderate to high for the studied traits. Our findings highlight the polygenic nature of grain quality traits and demonstrate the potential of genomic selection to enhance genetic gains in maize breeding. Furthermore, the identified genomic regions and single nucleotide polymorphism markers can serve as the groundwork for investigating candidate genes that regulate grain quality traits in tropical maize. This, in turn, can facilitate the implementation of marker-assisted selection (MAS) in breeding programs focused on improving grain nutrient levels.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Linkage mapping and genomic prediction of grain quality traits in tropical maize (Zea mays L.)

Ndlovu,

Kachapur,

Beyene

et al. 2024

Front. Genet.

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“…The station receives between 545 and 629 mm of rainfall split in two seasons and lies in a hot, semi-arid region with annual temperature ranging from 16.0 to 33.6 °C. The soils are well drained, very deep, dark reddish brown to dark red, friable sandy clay to clay (Acri-Rhodic Ferrassols) developed from undifferentiated basement system rocks, predominantly banded gneisses (Ertiro et al 2022 ). Other location Embu lies at an elevation of 1350 m above sea level and receives an average of 893 mm of rainfall and lies in the foothills of Mount Kenya with annual temperature ranging from 15.0 to 27.9 °C.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genome-wide association studies of grain yield and quality traits under optimum and low-nitrogen stress in tropical maize (Zea mays L.)

et al. 2022

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Key message Genome-wide association study (GWAS) demonstrated that multiple genomic regions influence grain quality traits under nitrogen-starved soils. Using genomic prediction, genetic gains can be improved through selection for grain quality traits. Abstract Soils in sub-Saharan Africa are nitrogen deficient due to low fertilizer use and inadequate soil fertility management practices. This has resulted in a significant yield gap for the major staple crop maize, which is undermining nutritional security and livelihood sustainability across the region. Dissecting the genetic basis of grain protein, starch and oil content under nitrogen-starved soils can increase our understanding of the governing genetic systems and improve the efficacy of future breeding schemes. An association mapping panel of 410 inbred lines and four bi-parental populations were evaluated in field trials in Kenya and South Africa under optimum and low nitrogen conditions and genotyped with 259,798 SNP markers. Genetic correlations demonstrated that these populations may be utilized to select higher performing lines under low nitrogen stress. Furthermore, genotypic, environmental and GxE variations in nitrogen-starved soils were found to be significant for oil content. Broad sense heritabilities ranged from moderate (0.18) to high (0.86). Under low nitrogen stress, GWAS identified 42 SNPs linked to grain quality traits. These significant SNPs were associated with 51 putative candidate genes. Linkage mapping identified multiple QTLs for the grain quality traits. Under low nitrogen conditions, average prediction accuracies across the studied genotypes were higher for oil content (0.78) and lower for grain yield (0.08). Our findings indicate that grain quality traits are polygenic and that using genomic selection in maize breeding can improve genetic gain. Furthermore, the identified genomic regions and SNP markers can be utilized for selection to improve maize grain quality traits.

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“…As for the negative correlation between grain protein content and grain yield, Wang et al [40] speculated that protein synthesis required more glucose than carbohydrates. However, Ertiro et al [41] did not observe a strong correlation between yield and grain quality traits in their research results. Zhang et al [42] also believed that ordinary maize could achieve high quality and yield by selecting breeding materials and appropriate cultivation measures.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Effect of Planting Density on the Nutritional Quality of Grain in Representative High-Yielding Maize Varieties from Different Eras

Wang,

et al. 2023

Agriculture

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Maize is essential in ensuring food security in China as a primary food and feed crop. One of the main ways to increase yield in maize production systems is to increase planting density as appropriate. Clarifying the relationship between planting density and grain nutritional quality can provide theoretical guidance for high-yielding high-quality maize cultivation and management practices. To this end, five representative high-yielding maize varieties from the 1970s to the 2010s in China were used as experimental material, and two planting densities of 45,000 plants hm−2 and 105,000 plants hm−2 were set to analyze the changing patterns of yield traits and grain nutrient quality of maize varieties in different eras, as well as their responses to densification conditions. The results showed that, under low-density conditions, the grain nutrient quality components of the 2010s’ variety (DH618) were all different 75 days after anthesis compared with the 1970s’–2000s’ varieties and yields also significantly increased by 11.15% to 19.18% (p < 0.05). The increase in planting density led to a rise in total grain starch and soluble sugar content 75 days post-anthesis in all varieties from the 1970s to the 2010s, with increases of 0.65–1.65% and 39.44–69.01%, and a decrease in crude grain protein and crude fat content, with reductions of 4.15–8.50% and 3.00–11.18%. The increase in total grain starch content 75 days post-anthesis was mainly due to the rise in grain starch accumulation between 23 and 47 days post-anthesis in the 1970s’–2010s’ varieties, with an increase of 7.72–9.19% in all varieties. The higher accumulation of crude fat and soluble sugar in the 0–23 days post-anthesis period also contributed to the increase in total starch accumulation in the 23–47 days post-anthesis period. Ultimately, densification conditions also contributed to a significant increase in yield across all eras of the varieties based on changes in grain nutritional quality, with a more significant increase in yield due to densification and a smaller decrease in grain crude fat content due to densification 75 days after anthesis in the 2010s’ variety (DH618). Therefore, in cultivation and production processes that do not have specific requirements for the nutritional quality components of maize grain, we suggest that the use of a representative high-yielding maize variety (DH618) from the 2010s, together with appropriate planting at close planting distances, can significantly increase maize yields based on an increase in the total starch content of the grain at physiological maturity.

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Relationship between Grain Yield and Quality Traits under Optimum and Low-Nitrogen Stress Environments in Tropical Maize

Cited by 9 publications

References 29 publications

Linkage mapping and genomic prediction of grain quality traits in tropical maize (Zea mays L.)

Linkage mapping and genomic prediction of grain quality traits in tropical maize (Zea mays L.)

Genome-wide association studies of grain yield and quality traits under optimum and low-nitrogen stress in tropical maize (Zea mays L.)

Effect of Planting Density on the Nutritional Quality of Grain in Representative High-Yielding Maize Varieties from Different Eras

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