Genetic Basis of Malic Acid Accumulation in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)
Published:07 Apr.2023 Source:Hortic Res
Tomato has rich nutritional value and flavor quality, and is deeply loved by consumers. However, in the process of tomato domestication breeding, breeders attach importance to the commerciality of the fruit while ignoring the flavor and quality of the fruit. Malic acid is an important component of tomato flavor and nutritional quality, which not only gives tomato a rich flavor, but also participates in various metabolic activities of the fruit. Therefore, exploring the genetic basis of malic acid accumulation in tomatoes is of great significance for improving tomato flavor.
The metabolic accumulation of malic acid is affected by complex genetic and environmental factors, and the identification of a few major genetic loci and the study of regulatory mechanisms cannot meet the requirements of quality improvement. In this study, GWAS with six multiple/single-locus models were used to explore the natural variation sites of tomato malic acid in two environments.
The results showed that in the long-term breeding history of tomato, the domestication stage has a greater impact on malic acid accumulation in tomato, while the improvement stage has a smaller impact on it. In addition, the interaction between genotype and environment may lead to differences in phenotypic data under different environments.