Gebeyehu Demissie, Adane
- Department of Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Abstract
Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is a nutrient-rich oilseed crop whose improvement can be accelerated by unlocking untapped genetic variation in African landraces. We integrated a global meta-quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis with a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of Ethiopian germplasm to identify molecular markers for plant height and seed coat color. Meta-analysis of eight available data sources revealed six conserved QTL hotspots on chromosomes 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, and 11. Subsequently, GWAS on 200 Ethiopian accessions, represented by 3683 SNPs, detected 36 significant associations, including novel loci on chromosomes 12 and 13 not reported in Asian-focused research. Candidate genes assigned to these loci implicated key hormonal and transcriptional mechanisms: brassinosteroid biosynthesis (CYP90B1) and ethylene signaling (AP2/ERF) probably regulate plant architecture, while transcription factors (WRKY23, DOF3.1, and SBP-like) modulate flavonoid pathways controlling seed coat pigmentation. Analyses of population structure revealed two distinct groups (K = 2), and linkage disequilibrium (LD) decayed rapidly (~190 kb), which allows fine-mapping. The present study presents validated molecular markers and candidate genes for marker-assisted selection in sesame breeding.
Keywords
Sesamum indicum L.; genome-wide association study; marker-assisted selection; meta-QTL analysis; plant architecture; seed coat color
Published in
Plants
2026, volume: 15, number: 3, article number: 463
SLU Authors
Ortiz Rios, Rodomiro Octavio
- Department of Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
- Department of Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
UKÄ Subject classification
Genetics and Breeding in Agricultural Sciences
Agricultural Science
Publication identifier
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15030463
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/146016