Abstract
Fruit quality traits, including taste, flavor, texture, and shelf-life, have emerged as important breeding priorities in blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum ). Organic acids and sugars play crucial roles in the perception of blueberry taste/flavor, where low and high consumer liking are correlated with high organic acids and high sugars, respectively. Blueberry texture and appearance are also critical for shelf-life quality and consumers’ willingness-to-pay. As the genetic mechanisms that determine these fruit quality traits remain largely unknown, in this study, an F 1 mapping population was used to perform quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping for pH, titratable acidity (TA), organic acids, total soluble solids (TSS), sugars, fruit size, and texture at harvest and/or post-storage and weight loss. Twenty-eight QTLs were detected for acidity-related parameters (pH, TA, and organic acid content). Six QTLs for pH, TA, and citric acid, two for quinic acid, and two for shikimic acid with major effects were consistently detected across two years on the same genomic regions on chromosomes 3, 4, and 5, respectively. Putative candidate genes for these QTLs were also identified using comparative transcriptomic analysis. No QTL was detected for malic acid content, TSS, or individual sugar content. A total of 146 QTLs with minor effects were identified for texture- and size-related parameters. With a few exceptions, these QTLs were generally inconsistent over years and post-storage, indicating a highly quantitative nature. Our findings enhance the understanding of the genetic basis underlying fruit quality traits in blueberry and guide future work to exploit DNA-informed selection strategies in blueberry breeding programs. The major-effect QTLs identified for acidity-related fruit characteristics could be potential targets to develop DNA markers for marker-assisted selection (MAS). On the other hand, genomic selection may be a more suitable approach than MAS when targeting fruit texture, sugars, or size.
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Claims 12
Claim · model-written summary
Twenty-eight QTLs were detected for acidity traits.
Verbatim
e0“Twenty-eight QTLs were detected for acidity-related parameters (pH, TA, and organic acid content).”
e1“in blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum )”
Claim · model-written summary
Major-effect QTLs for pH, TA, and citric acid were repeatedly detected.
Verbatim
e0“Six QTLs for pH, TA, and citric acid, two for quinic acid, and two for shikimic acid with major effects were consistently detected across two years on the same genomic regions on chromosomes 3, 4, and 5, respectively.”
e1“in blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum )”
Claim · model-written summary
Major-effect QTLs for quinic acid were repeatedly detected.
Verbatim
e0“Six QTLs for pH, TA, and citric acid, two for quinic acid, and two for shikimic acid with major effects were consistently detected across two years on the same genomic regions on chromosomes 3, 4, and 5, respectively.”
e1“in blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum )”
Claim · model-written summary
Major-effect QTLs for shikimic acid were repeatedly detected.
Verbatim
e0“Six QTLs for pH, TA, and citric acid, two for quinic acid, and two for shikimic acid with major effects were consistently detected across two years on the same genomic regions on chromosomes 3, 4, and 5, respectively.”
e1“in blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum )”
Claim · model-written summary
Putative candidate genes for acidity QTLs were identified.
Verbatim
e0“Putative candidate genes for these QTLs were also identified using comparative transcriptomic analysis.”
e1“in blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum )”
Claim · model-written summary
No QTL was found for malic acid content.
Verbatim
e0“No QTL was detected for malic acid content, TSS, or individual sugar content.”
e1“in blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum )”
Claim · model-written summary
No QTL was found for TSS.
Verbatim
e0“No QTL was detected for malic acid content, TSS, or individual sugar content.”
e1“in blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum )”
Claim · model-written summary
No QTL was found for individual sugar content.
Verbatim
e0“No QTL was detected for malic acid content, TSS, or individual sugar content.”
e1“in blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum )”
Claim · model-written summary
There were 146 minor-effect QTLs for fruit texture and size.
Verbatim
e0“A total of 146 QTLs with minor effects were identified for texture- and size-related parameters.”
e1“in blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum )”
Claim · model-written summary
Most texture and size QTLs were inconsistent across years and storage states.
Verbatim
e0“With a few exceptions, these QTLs were generally inconsistent over years and post-storage, indicating a highly quantitative nature.”
e1“in blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum )”
Claim · model-written summary
Major acidity QTLs could be targets for marker-assisted selection.
Verbatim
e0“The major-effect QTLs identified for acidity-related fruit characteristics could be potential targets to develop DNA markers for marker-assisted selection (MAS).”
e1“in blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum )”
Claim · model-written summary
Genomic selection may suit fruit texture, sugars and size better than MAS.
Verbatim
e0“genomic selection may be a more suitable approach than MAS when targeting fruit texture, sugars, or size.”
e1“in blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum )”