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QTL analyses and molecular markers for volatile terpenes in carrot
Project
Project code: JKI-ZGO-08-4188
Contract period: 01.03.2019
- 28.02.2021
Purpose of research: Experimental development
Keywords: carrots, Daucus species, Daucus carota subsp. sativus, terpenoids, terpene synthase, molecular characterization
Terpenoids are the largest group of plant natural products comprising at least 30,000 different substances and play a considerable physiological role in the primary metabolism as phytohormones, and photosynthesis pigments (carotenoids and chlorophylls). They have important functions for communication and defense of the plants and help to attract pollinators or predators of herbivores. A typical characteristic of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes is their volatility, and therefore they contribute to the typical flavor and aroma of many plant species including carrots. Daucus species with their typical taproots are exceptionally rich in terpenes including monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, diterpenes and triterpenes. Volatile terpenes play a decisive role for carrot taste and aroma but may also influence off-taste such as bitterness. The great diversity, mainly of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, results from different members of the terpene synthase gene family, each responsible for the production of one or more individual terpenes. Breeding high-quality carrot cultivars would profit from a better understanding of the genetics of compounds involved in these effects. A combined approach of terpene metabolite profiling, genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) and genome-wide association study (GWAS) will be used to get insights into the genetic control of volatile terpene biosynthesis in carrots and to identify terpene synthase candidate genes. For that approach, a collection of about 100 carrot accessions, containing mainly wild relatives with an European origin, will be phenotyped by gas chromatography at JKI-ÖPV (Berlin-Dahlem). GBS will be performed using the same carrot genotypes, and the SNP data obtained will be used for GWAS. Detected QTLs will be compared with the annotated whole carrot genome sequence, and TPS candidate genes will be further analyzed and possibly used to develop functional markers suited for molecular characterization of carrot basis material.
Section overview
Subjects
- Plant Breeding
- Genetic Resources
Framework programme
Funding programme
Excutive institution
Institute for Breeding Research on Horticultural Crops (JKI-ZG)
