Comparative QTL analysis of maize seed artificial aging between an immortalized F 2 population and its corresponding RILs

Seed aging decreases the quality and vigor of crop seeds, thereby causing substantial agricultural and economic losses in crops. To identify genetic differences in seed aging between homozygotes and heterozygotes in maize, the seeds of a set of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) and an immortalized F2 (IF2) population were subjected to artificial aging treatments for 0, 2, 3, and 4days under 45ºC and 85% relative humidity and seed vigor was then evaluated in a field experiment. Seed vigor of all entries tested decreased sharply with longer aging treatment and seed vigor decreased more slowly in heterozygotes than in homozygotes. Forty-nine QTL were detected for four measured seed vigor traits in the RIL (28 QTL) and IF2 (21 QTL) populations. Only one QTL, qGP5, was detected in both populations, indicating that the genes involved in anti-aging mechanisms differed between inbred lines and hybrids. Several QTL were identified to be responsible for multiple seed vigor traits simultaneously in the RIL and IF2 populations under artificial aging conditions. These QTL may include major genes for seed vigor or seed aging. QTL qVI4b and qGE3a detected in the RIL population coincided with genes ZmLOX1 and ZmPLD1 in the same respective chromosomal regions. These QTL would be useful for screening for anti-aging genes in maize breeding.