# qPH1.01 , a dominant QTL that contributes to plant height and ear height in maize

## TL;DR

Researchers identified a new gene region in maize that significantly reduces plant and ear height, which could help breed shorter, more productive crops.

## Contribution

Discovery of a novel dominant QTL, qPH1.01, that reduces plant and ear height in maize and its fine-mapping to a 420-kb region.

## Key findings

- qPH1.01 reduces plant height by 8–12 cm and ear height by 4–6 cm.
- qPH1.01 was fine-mapped to a 420-kb region on chromosome 1.
- RNA-seq suggests qPH1.01 affects height by regulating hormone-related genes.

## Abstract

Plant height (PH) is an important agronomic trait closely related to yield and lodging resistance. In this study, bulked segregant analysis coupled with next‐generation sequencing (BSA‐seq) approach was employed to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for PH in a large F2 population generated from a cross between the tall maize (Zea mays L.) inbred line PH6WC and the short maize inbred line KA3321. Extreme high‐ and low‐PH bulks were constructed by selecting 62 individuals each from the tails of the phenotypic distribution in the 617‐member F2 population.  BSA‐seq revealed four PH QTLs, two of which were validated in a random F2 population. qPH1.01
, a novel QTL on chromosome 1, showed dominance effect for reducing both PH and ear height (EH). The KA3321 allele of qPH1.01
reduced PH by 8–12 cm and EH by 4–6 cm. Using recombinant‐derived progeny testing strategy, qPH1.01
was fine‐mapped to an interval of approximately 420 kb referring to B73 genome. Transcriptome data showed that qPH1.01
might influence PH and EH by regulating expression of hormone‐related genes. The dominant QTL discovered in this study may facilitate the breeding of dwarf and high‐density maize varieties.

We identified a novel dominant quantitative trait locus (QTL), qPH1.01
, on maize chromosome 1, with allele from KA3321 reducing plant height by 8–12 cm and ear height by 4–6 cm, respectively.Using recombinant‐derived progeny testing strategy, we narrowed down qPH1.01
to a 420‐kb region referring to B73 genome.RNA‐seq results suggested that qPH1.01
might influence plant height and ear height by regulating expression of hormone‐related genes.
qPH1.01
could be beneficial for breeding dwarf and high‐density maize varieties.

We identified a novel dominant quantitative trait locus (QTL), qPH1.01
, on maize chromosome 1, with allele from KA3321 reducing plant height by 8–12 cm and ear height by 4–6 cm, respectively.

Using recombinant‐derived progeny testing strategy, we narrowed down qPH1.01
to a 420‐kb region referring to B73 genome.

RNA‐seq results suggested that qPH1.01
might influence plant height and ear height by regulating expression of hormone‐related genes.

qPH1.01
could be beneficial for breeding dwarf and high‐density maize varieties.

Plant height (PH) is an important agronomic trait closely associated with yield and lodging resistance. Using bulked segregant analysis coupled with next‐generation sequencing (BSA‐seq), we identified four quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that contribute to plant height in maize. QTL validation in a random F2 population showed that qPH1.01
was a dominant QTL for both PH and EH, with the allele from KA3321 reducing PH by 8–12 cm and EH by 4–6 cm respectively. Through years of fine‐mapping, we narrowed down qPH1.01
to a 420‐kb genomic region referring to B73 genome. RNA‐seq results suggested that qPH1.01
might influence PH and EH by regulating expression of hormone‐related genes. The tightly linked molecular markers developed in the qPH1.01
region could facilitate map‐based cloning and marker‐assisted selection in maize dwarf breeding.