Fine mapping and candidate gene analysis of flesh browning in pear (Pyrus L.)

•In this research, a hybrid population was used to perform QTL fine mapping of pear flesh browning, a major QTL and minor QTL were detected on Chr2 and chr17, respectively.•To further delineate the QTL interval on chr2, 93 indel markers were designed for analysis, and 21 pairs showed polymorphism in the progeny. A total of 41 candidate genes were identified within the fine mapping QTL range.•Combined with gene annotation and RNA-seq, 5 candidate genes were screened from major and minor QTL regions. The expression levels of these genes were analyzed. The results showed that 2 candidate genes may be involved in the regulation of pear flesh browning.