QTL mapping for combining ability in different population-based NCII designs: a simulation study

The NCII design (North Carolina mating design II) has been widely applied in studies of combining ability and heterosis. The objective of our research was to estimate how different base populations, sample sizes, testcross numbers and heritability influence QTL analyses of combining ability and heterosis. A series of Monte Carlo simulation experiments with QTL mapping were then conducted for the base population performance, testcross population phenotypic values and the general combining ability (GCA), specific combining ability (SCA) and Hmp (midparental heterosis) datasets. The results indicated that: (i) increasing the number of testers did not necessarily enhance the QTL detection power for GCA, but it was significantly related to the QTL effect. (ii) The QTLs identified in the base population may be different from those from GCA dataset. Similar phenomena can be seen from QTL detected in SCA and Hmp datasets. (iii) The QTL detection power for GCA ranked in the order of DH(RIL) based > F₂ based > BC based NCII design, when the heritability was low. The recombinant inbred lines (RILs) (or DHs) allows more recombination and offers higher mapping resolution than other populations. Further, their testcross progeny can be repeatedly generated and phenotyped. Thus, RIL based (or DH based) NCII design was highly recommend for combining ability QTL analysis. Our results expect to facilitate selecting elite parental lines with high combining ability and for geneticists to research the genetic basis of combining ability.     

Phosphate Regulation of Nitrate Assimilation in Soybean

It is known that phosphorus deficiency results in alterationsin the assimilation of nitrogen. An experiment was conductedto investigate mechanisms involved in altered ¹⁵NO^–₃ uptake,endogenous ¹⁵N translocation, and amino acid accumulation insoybean (Glycine max L. Merrill, cv. Ransom) plants deprivedof an external phosphorus supply for 20 d in solution culture.Phosphorus deprivation led to decreased rates of ¹⁵NO^–₃uptake and increased accumulation of absorbed ¹⁵N in the root.Both effects became more pronounced with time. Asparagine, theprimary transport amino acid in soybean, accumulated in largeexcess in roots and stems. In roots of phosphorus-deprived plants,concentrations of ATP and inorganic phosphate declined rapidly,but dry weight accumulation was similar to or above that ofthe control even after 20 d of treatment. Arginine accumulationin leaves was greatly enhanced, even though ¹⁵N partitioninginto the insoluble reduced-N fraction of leaves was unaffected.The results suggest that decreases in NO^–₃ uptake in lowphosphorus plants could be caused by feedback control factorsand by limited ATP availability. The decline in endogenous Ntransport from the root to the shoot may be associated withchanges in membrane properties, which also result in paralleleffects on hydraulic conductance and the upward flow of waterthrough the plant. Key words: Phosphorus stress, nitrate uptake, nitrate translocation, arginine