European landrace diversity for common bean biofortification: a genome-wide association study

A panel of diversity encompassing 192 homozygous genotypes, was screened for iron, zinc and phytate seed content

Abstract

Mineral defciencies represent a global challenge that needs to be urgently addressed. An adequate intake of iron and zinc results in a balanced diet that reduces chances of impairment of many metabolic processes that can lead to clinical consequences. In plants, bioavailability of such nutrients is reduced by presence of compounds such as phytic acid, that can chelate minerals and reduce their absorption. Biofortifcation of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) represents an important strategy to reduce mineral defciencies, especially in areas of the world where this crop plays a key role in the diet. In this study, a panel of diversity encompassing 192 homozygous genotypes, was screened for iron, zinc and phytate seed content. Results indicate a broad variation of these traits and allowed the identifcation of accessions reasonably carrying favourable trait combinations. A signifcant association between zinc seed content and some molecular SNP markers co-located on the common bean Pv01 chromosome was detected by means of genome-wide association analysis. The gene Phvul001G233500, encoding for an E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase, is proposed to explain detected associations. This result represents a preliminary evidence that can foster future research aiming at understanding the genetic mechanisms behind zinc accumulation in beans.

This article is an output of the HarvestPlus programme

Citation

Caproni, Leonardo; Raggi, Lorenzo; Talsma, Elise F; Wenzl, Peter; Negri, Valeria. 2020. European landrace diversity for common bean biofortification: a genome-wide association study. Scientific Reports. 10(1):19775.

European landrace diversity for common bean biofortification: a genome-wide association study

Published 13 November 2020