Genome-wide association mapping and genomic prediction analyses reveal the genetic architecture of grain yield and agronomic traits under drought and optimum conditions in maize

Background: Drought is a major abiotic stress in sub-Saharan Africa, impacting maize growth and development leading to severe yield loss. Drought tolerance is a complex trait regulated by multiple genes, making direct grain yield selection ineffective. To dissect the genetic architecture of grain yi...

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Main Authors: Manigben, Kulai Amadu, Beyene, Yoseph, Chaikam, Vijay, Tongoona, Pangirayi Bernard, Danquah, Eric, Ifie, Beatrice, Burgueño, Juan, Boddupalli, Prasanna, Gowda, Manje
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: BioMed Central Ltd. 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179114
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author Manigben, Kulai Amadu
Beyene, Yoseph
Chaikam, Vijay
Tongoona, Pangirayi Bernard
Danquah, Eric
Ifie, Beatrice
Burgueño, Juan
Boddupalli, Prasanna
Gowda, Manje
author_browse Beyene, Yoseph
Boddupalli, Prasanna
Burgueño, Juan
Chaikam, Vijay
Danquah, Eric
Gowda, Manje
Ifie, Beatrice
Manigben, Kulai Amadu
Tongoona, Pangirayi Bernard
author_facet Manigben, Kulai Amadu
Beyene, Yoseph
Chaikam, Vijay
Tongoona, Pangirayi Bernard
Danquah, Eric
Ifie, Beatrice
Burgueño, Juan
Boddupalli, Prasanna
Gowda, Manje
author_sort Manigben, Kulai Amadu
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Background: Drought is a major abiotic stress in sub-Saharan Africa, impacting maize growth and development leading to severe yield loss. Drought tolerance is a complex trait regulated by multiple genes, making direct grain yield selection ineffective. To dissect the genetic architecture of grain yield and flowering traits under drought stress, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted on a panel of 236 maize lines testcrossed and evaluated under managed drought and optimal growing conditions in multiple environments using seven multi-locus GWAS models (mrMLM, FASTmrMLM, FASTmrEMMA, pLARmEB, pKWmEB, ISIS EM-BLASSO, and FARMCPU) from mrMLM and GAPIT R packages. Genomic prediction with RR-BLUP model was applied on BLUEs across locations under optimum and drought conditions. Results: A total of 172 stable and reliable quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) were identified, of which 77 are associated with GY, AD, SD, ASI, PH, EH, EPO and EPP under drought and 95 are linked to GY, AD, SD, ASI, PH, EH, EPO and EPP under optimal conditions. Among these QTNs, 17 QTNs explained over 10% of the phenotypic variation (R2 >= 10%). Furthermore, 43 candidate genes were discovered and annotated. Two major candidate genes, Zm00001eb041070 closely associated with grain yield near peak QTN, qGY_DS1.1 (S1_216149215) and Zm00001eb364110 closely related to anthesis-silking interval near peak QTN, qASI_DS8.2 (S8_167256316) were identified, encoding AP2-EREBP transcription factor 60 and TCP-transcription factor 20, respectively under drought stress. Haplo-pheno analysis identified superior haplotypes for qGY_DS1.1 (S1_216149215) associated with the higher grain yield under drought stress. Genomic prediction revealed moderate to high prediction accuracies under optimum and drought conditions. Conclusion: The lines carrying superior haplotypes can be used as potential donors in improving grain yield under drought stress. Integration of genomic selection with GWAS results leads not only to an increase in the prediction accuracy but also to validate the function of the identified candidate genes as well increase in the accumulation of favorable alleles with minor and major effects in elite breeding lines. This study provides valuable insight into the genetic architecture of grain yield and secondary traits under drought stress.
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spelling CGSpace1791142025-12-20T02:17:15Z Genome-wide association mapping and genomic prediction analyses reveal the genetic architecture of grain yield and agronomic traits under drought and optimum conditions in maize Manigben, Kulai Amadu Beyene, Yoseph Chaikam, Vijay Tongoona, Pangirayi Bernard Danquah, Eric Ifie, Beatrice Burgueño, Juan Boddupalli, Prasanna Gowda, Manje maize yields drought genome-wide association studies haplotypes forecasting Background: Drought is a major abiotic stress in sub-Saharan Africa, impacting maize growth and development leading to severe yield loss. Drought tolerance is a complex trait regulated by multiple genes, making direct grain yield selection ineffective. To dissect the genetic architecture of grain yield and flowering traits under drought stress, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted on a panel of 236 maize lines testcrossed and evaluated under managed drought and optimal growing conditions in multiple environments using seven multi-locus GWAS models (mrMLM, FASTmrMLM, FASTmrEMMA, pLARmEB, pKWmEB, ISIS EM-BLASSO, and FARMCPU) from mrMLM and GAPIT R packages. Genomic prediction with RR-BLUP model was applied on BLUEs across locations under optimum and drought conditions. Results: A total of 172 stable and reliable quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) were identified, of which 77 are associated with GY, AD, SD, ASI, PH, EH, EPO and EPP under drought and 95 are linked to GY, AD, SD, ASI, PH, EH, EPO and EPP under optimal conditions. Among these QTNs, 17 QTNs explained over 10% of the phenotypic variation (R2 >= 10%). Furthermore, 43 candidate genes were discovered and annotated. Two major candidate genes, Zm00001eb041070 closely associated with grain yield near peak QTN, qGY_DS1.1 (S1_216149215) and Zm00001eb364110 closely related to anthesis-silking interval near peak QTN, qASI_DS8.2 (S8_167256316) were identified, encoding AP2-EREBP transcription factor 60 and TCP-transcription factor 20, respectively under drought stress. Haplo-pheno analysis identified superior haplotypes for qGY_DS1.1 (S1_216149215) associated with the higher grain yield under drought stress. Genomic prediction revealed moderate to high prediction accuracies under optimum and drought conditions. Conclusion: The lines carrying superior haplotypes can be used as potential donors in improving grain yield under drought stress. Integration of genomic selection with GWAS results leads not only to an increase in the prediction accuracy but also to validate the function of the identified candidate genes as well increase in the accumulation of favorable alleles with minor and major effects in elite breeding lines. This study provides valuable insight into the genetic architecture of grain yield and secondary traits under drought stress. 2025-02 2025-12-19T22:59:22Z 2025-12-19T22:59:22Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179114 en Open Access application/pdf BioMed Central Ltd. Amadu, M. K., Beyene, Y., Chaikam, V., Tongoona, P. B., Danquah, E. Y., Ifie, B. E., Burgueno, J., Prasanna, B. M., & Gowda, M. (2025). Genome-wide association mapping and genomic prediction analyses reveal the genetic architecture of grain yield and agronomic traits under drought and optimum conditions in maize. BMC Plant Biology, 25(1), 135. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-06135-3
spellingShingle maize
yields
drought
genome-wide association studies
haplotypes
forecasting
Manigben, Kulai Amadu
Beyene, Yoseph
Chaikam, Vijay
Tongoona, Pangirayi Bernard
Danquah, Eric
Ifie, Beatrice
Burgueño, Juan
Boddupalli, Prasanna
Gowda, Manje
Genome-wide association mapping and genomic prediction analyses reveal the genetic architecture of grain yield and agronomic traits under drought and optimum conditions in maize
title Genome-wide association mapping and genomic prediction analyses reveal the genetic architecture of grain yield and agronomic traits under drought and optimum conditions in maize
title_full Genome-wide association mapping and genomic prediction analyses reveal the genetic architecture of grain yield and agronomic traits under drought and optimum conditions in maize
title_fullStr Genome-wide association mapping and genomic prediction analyses reveal the genetic architecture of grain yield and agronomic traits under drought and optimum conditions in maize
title_full_unstemmed Genome-wide association mapping and genomic prediction analyses reveal the genetic architecture of grain yield and agronomic traits under drought and optimum conditions in maize
title_short Genome-wide association mapping and genomic prediction analyses reveal the genetic architecture of grain yield and agronomic traits under drought and optimum conditions in maize
title_sort genome wide association mapping and genomic prediction analyses reveal the genetic architecture of grain yield and agronomic traits under drought and optimum conditions in maize
topic maize
yields
drought
genome-wide association studies
haplotypes
forecasting
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179114
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