The Identification of QTL Associated with Cotton Fruit Branch Length Suitable for Mechanized Harvest Utilizing BSA-seq

[Objective] This study aims to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with cotton fruit branch length by using the combination of bulked-segregant analysis (BSA) and next-generation sequencing (NGS) method. [Method] In this study, the cotton F₂ segregating population was developed with the short branch line Sujimian 125 and long-branch variety Sikang 1 as cross parents. According to the average internode length of fruit branches in middle, extreme individuals in F₂ population were divided into two groups to generate the bulked DNA samples. The whole-genome resequencing of two DNA bulks was applied to analyze the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and insertion-deletion (InDel) between two groups, and the fruit branch internode length related QTLs were detected using Euclidean distance (ED). [Result] With SNP data obtained from sequencing, a 0.8 Mbp range associated region on chromosome A3 was identified; with InDel data obtained from sequencing, a 1.09 Mbp range associated region on chromosome A3 was identified. Two regions overlapped, and the overlapped range was 0.77 Mbp. [Conclusion] This result suggested that the difference between I-type fruit branch and zero-type was due to different genetic locus and pattern rather than dosage effect of the same gene.