biostudies-literatureWang JShanxi key laboratory of crop genetics and molecular improvementthe State Key Laboratory of Sustainable Dryland Agriculture (in preparation), Shanxi Agricultural University40https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC10248618biostudies-literatureUnknown42(7)Grain hardness (HI) is a key trait for wheat milling and end-use quality. <i>Puroindoline</i> genes (<i>PINs</i>) are the major genes responsible for grain hardness, but other QTLs also contribute to the trait. Therefore, it is essential to identify loci associated with the HI and allelic variations of <i>PINs</i> in wheat. In the present study, 287 accessions from Shanxi province representing 70 years of wheat breeding were grown in one rainfed and two irrigated conditions to study grain hardness. Genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) was performed using the 15 K array, and the variability of <i>PIN</i> alleles was investigated. Among the accessions, hard wheat was most common. The broad-sense heritability (<i>H</i>^<i>2</i>) among the three environments was 99.5%, suggesting Molecular breeding : new strategies in plant improvementGenome-wide association study of grain hardness and novel <i>Puroindoline</i> alleles in common wheat.PMC10248618No. 202102-1KFJJ2019-02Zheng JZheng XZhao WWu BWang YWang JYang CZhao JQiao LfalseGenome-wide association study of grain hardness and novel <i>Puroindoline</i> alleles in common wheat.Grain hardness (HI) is a key trait for wheat milling and end-use quality. <i>Puroindoline</i> genes (<i>PINs</i>) are the major genes responsible for grain hardness, but other QTLs also contribute to the trait. Therefore, it is essential to identify loci associated with the HI and allelic variations of <i>PINs</i> in wheat. In the present study, 287 accessions from Shanxi province representing 70 years of wheat breeding were grown in one rainfed and two irrigated conditions to study grain hardness. Genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) was performed using the 15 K array, and the variability of <i>PIN</i> alleles was investigated. Among the accessions, hard wheat was most common. The broad-sense heritability (<i>H</i>^<i>2</i>) among the three environments was 99.5%, suggesting 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z2022 Jul2025-07-02T03:05:05.809Z2025-04-07T11:57:24.385ZS-EPMC102486183731350710.1007/s11032-022-01303-x