Exploiting genomic tools for genetic dissection and improving the resistance to Fusarium stalk rot in tropical maize

A stable genomic region conferring FSR resistance at 250 Mb on chromosome 1 was identified by GWAS. Genomic prediction has the potential to improve FSR resistance. Fusarium stalk rot (FSR) is a global destructive disease in maize; the efficiency of phenotypic selection for improving FSR resistance was low. Novel genomic tools of genome-wide association study (GWAS) and genomic prediction (GP) provide an opportunity for genetic dissection and improving FSR resistance. In this study, GWAS and GP analyses were performed on 562 tropical maize inbred lines consisting of two populations. In total, 15 SNPs significantly associated with FSR resistance were identified across two populations and the combinedPOP consisting of all 562 inbred lines, with the P-values ranging from 1.99 × 10–7 to 8.27 × 10–13, and the phenotypic variance explained (PVE) values ranging from 0.94 to 8.30