# Genome-Wide Association Analysis of Fresh Maize

## TL;DR

This study identifies genes linked to important traits in fresh maize, which could help improve breeding and quality.

## Contribution

The study identifies 11 major candidate genes with significant roles in fresh maize growth and physiology.

## Key findings

- 82 SNPs were found significantly associated with eight key phenotypic traits in fresh maize.
- Eleven major candidate genes were identified, explaining 7.21% to 12.78% of phenotypic variation.
- The genes are involved in signaling, metabolic regulation, structural maintenance, and stress response.

## Abstract

This study measured eight key phenotypic traits across 259 fresh maize inbred lines, including plant height and spike length. A total of 82 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) significantly associated with these phenotypes were identified by applying a mixed linear model to calculate the best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) values and integrating genome-wide genotypic data through genome-wide association analysis (GWAS). A further analysis of significant SNPs contributed to the identification of 63 candidate genes with functional annotations. Notably, 11 major candidate genes were identified from multi-trait association loci, all of which exhibited highly significant P-values (<0.0001) and explained between 7.21% and 12.78% of phenotypic variation. These 11 genes, located on chromosomes 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 9, were functionally involved in signaling, metabolic regulation, structural maintenance, and stress response, and are likely to play crucial roles in the growth and physiological processes of fresh maize inbred lines. The functional genes identified in this study have significant implications for the development of molecular markers, the optimization of breeding strategies, and the enhancement of quality in fresh maize.