Quantitative Trait Locus Mapping for End-Use Quality Traits in Hard Winter Wheat Under Contrasting Soil Moisture Levels

Improved end-use quality is an essential goal of many wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) breeding programs. Besides genetic factors, environmental conditions are known to influence wheat quality. Our objective was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for quality traits in a winter wheat population under different soil moisture levels. A population of 185 doubled haploid (DH) lines was derived from a cross between hard white winter wheats CO940610 and 'Platte'. The population was grown in four environments (two limited irrigation and two fully irrigated) in Colorado in 2007/2008 and 2008/2009, and the grain was evaluated for 14 end-use quality traits. A linkage map was constructed with 250 molecular markers, including five glutenin protein markers. Composite interval mapping detected clusters of QTL for multiple traits near the glutenin loci Glu-A1, Glu-B1, and Glu-D1. Other QTL clusters were located on chromosomes 2B, 6A, 7B, and 7D; the 2B and 7D QTL may reflect the presence of heading date QTL in the same regions. An epistatic interaction for mixograph traits was found between the chromosome 7B QTL and Glu-B1, consistent with the presence of a regulatory gene on 7B. An apparently novel QTL for kernel weight and diameter was detected on chromosome 3B. Our results confirm similar genetic control of quality traits, especially for large-effect QTL, for the levels of moisture stress in this study. These results may guide breeding programs in choosing parents and conducting marker-assisted selection for improved end-use quality.