1College of Agronomy, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taiyuan 030031;2Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding, Beijing 100081;3Zhongyuan Research Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xinxiang 453519, Henan;4Yazhouwan National Laboratory, Sanya 572025, Hainan
Wheat Germplasm Resources Identification Task, Department of Seed Industry Management, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs(19221921, 19230606); China Agriculture Research System (CARS-03)
Dwarf genes are key factors determining wheat plant height and lodging resistance, the widespread utilization of them has driven the global wheat Green Revolution. The identification and utilization of elite dwarf germplasm and genetic resources are crucial for the improvement of wheat breeding and industrial development. In this study, 2109 hexaploid wheat accessions from the National Crop Genebank, including landraces, cultivars, and introduced varieties were used as materials. By conducting field trials of plant height during 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 growing seasons and performing genotyping using a wheat 60K liquid capture SNP chip covering the whole genome, we performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) using a mixed linear model (MLM). The results indicated that the tested germplasm exhibited abundant variation in plant height, with highly significant differences among different germplasm types. From this panel, 320 semi-dwarf, dwarf and ultra-dwarf accessions with plant heights below 85 cm were screened. Based on two growing seasons phenotypic data and best linear unbiased estimation (BLUE) values, four high-confidence association genomic regions were identified under Bonferroni correction. The associated loci on chromosomes 4B, 4D, and 2D co-localized with the classic dwarfing genes Rht1 (Rht-B1b), Rht2 (Rht-D1b), and Rht8, respectively, while a novel unreported locus, tentatively named QHt.caas-1B, was identified at chromosome 1B (Chr1B:332340447), with a significant independent dwarfing effect. Haplotype analysis indicated that 91.1% of modern cultivars possess the dwarf-type allele of QHt.caas-1B, demonstrating that the locus is frequently utilized in modern breeding. Furthermore, 248 accessions carrying specific functional haplotypes H2 (Rht2+Rht8+QHt.caas-1B), H3 (Rht1+Rht8+QHt.caas-1B), and H7 (Rht1+Rht2+Rht8+QHt.caas-1B) were screened from the 320 semi-dwarf, dwarf, and ultra-dwarf accessions for use in breeding. Based on large-scale wheat germplasm resources, this study elucidates the utilization patterns of wheat dwarfing genes from a whole-genome perspective, providing valuable genetic resources and elite parental lines for wheat dwarf breeding.
