Identifying Meta-QTLs for Stay-Green in Sorghum

To develop resilient crops it is necessary to understand the underlying genetics of climatic response. A strong association between stay-green and post-flowering drought tolerance in Sorghum has been established. Being a complex quantitative trait, Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) mapping experiments of stay-green in Sorghum have been frequently performed. The objective of the current study was to find consensus genomic regions that control stay-green by integrating the QTLs mapped in previous studies. Meta-QTL analysis was performed to summarize 115 QTLs projected on the consensus map. The analysis generated 32 Meta-QTL regions within which candidate gene (CG) identification was undertaken. 7 candidate genes were identified using the markers tightly linked to the Meta-QTLs. The results from this study will facilitate future attempts aiming to improve and understand drought tolerance in Sorghum.