Selection Signatures Underlying Dramatic Male Inflorescence Transformation During Modern Hybrid Maize Breeding.

ABSTRACT: Inflorescence capacity plays a crucial role in reproductive fitness in plants, and in production of hybrid crops. Maize is a monoecious species bearing separate male and female flowers (tassel and ear, respectively). The switch from open-pollinated populations of maize to hybrid-based breeding schemes in the early 20th century was accompanied by a dramatic reduction in tassel size, and the trend has continued with modern breeding over the recent decades. The goal of this study was to identify selection signatures in genes that may underlie this dramatic transformation. Using a population of 942 diverse inbred maize accessions and a nested association mapping population comprising three 200-line biparental populations, we measured 15 tassel morphological characteristics by manual and image-

SUBMITTER: Gage JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6218240 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature