Development of linkage map and mapping of QTLs for oil content and yield attributes in linseed (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Linum usitatissimum</Emphasis> L.)

Linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) is an important oilseed as well as stem fiber crop and rich source of omega-3 fatty acid. The present study aims to develop linkage map based on Indian genotypes and utilize it for mapping QTLs for important agronomic traits. Two diverse parental genotypes (KL-213 and RKY-14) of linseed showed wide range of variability for oil content and yield attributes. These parental genotypes also showed reasonable level of SSR polymorphism (~ 9.0%). The mapping population showed normal distribution of phenotypic traits. One hundred forty-six SSR markers were mapped on 15 linkage groups with marker density ranging from 3 to 18 markers per linkage group at average distance of 14.2 cM. A total of 11 QTLs were identified for six quantitative traits. Three QTLs for capsules/plant, 2 QTLs each for plant height, seeds/capsule and oil content and 1 QTL each for branches/plant and seed weight/plant were detected. Phenotypic variability explained by these QTLs varied from 1 to 15.23%. This study provides framework linkage map of linseed using Indian genotypes, which needs to be enriched further for future application in marker assisted breeding of linseed.     

Identification of transposable element markers associated with yield and quality traits from an association panel of independent mutants in peanut (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Arachis hypogaea</Emphasis> L.)

To identify marker–trait associations (MTAs) for yield and quality traits in peanut, genic and nongenic Arachis hypogaea transposable element (AhTE) markers were employed in a population consisting of independent mutants from several parents. The population was field-evaluated during the rainy seasons of 2014 and 2015, and genotyped with 110 AhTE markers to check the polymorphisms for AhMITE1 transposition. The gene diversity index ranged from 0.00 to 0.50 with average of 0.35, indicating low to moderate genetic diversity in the population. Diversity analysis indicated the grouping of mutants derived from each parent in respective subgroups. Marker–trait association analysis for 110 markers and 40 traits resulted in 132 highly significant MTAs, represented by 58 AhTE markers for 39 traits. Nutritional traits recorded the highest number of MTAs (38), followed by agronomic traits (35), productivity traits (31), foliar disease resistance (23), and taxonomic traits (5). Seventeen MTAs with phenotypic variance explained (PVE) value above 50 % were observed for resistance to late leaf spot (LLS) and rust, plant height, and pod width. The genic and nongenic AhTE markers associated with the above traits were analyzed for their genomic location and functional annotation so that the significance of these loci can be analyzed in the future.     

Mapping QTL for stay-green and agronomic traits in wheat under diverse water regimes

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield is directly proportional to physio-morphological traits. A high-density genetic map consisting of 2575 markers was used for mapping QTL controlling stay-green and agronomic traits in wheat grown under four diverse water regimes. A total of 108 additive QTL were identified in target traits. Among them, 28 QTL for chlorophyll content (CC) were detected on 11 chromosomes, 43 for normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) on all chromosomes except 5B, 5D, and 7D, five for spikes per plant (NSP) on different chromosomes, nine for plant height (PH) on four chromosomes, and 23 for thousand-kernel weight (TKW) on 11 chromosomes. Considering all traits, the phenotypic variation explained (PVE) ranged from 3.61 to 41.62%. A major QTL, QNDVI.cgb-5A.7, for NDVI with a maximum PVE of 20.21%, was located on chromosome 5A. A stable and major PH QTL was observed on chromosome 4D with a PVE close to 40%. Most distances between QTL and corresponding flanking markers were less than 1 cM, and approximately one-third of the QTL coincided with markers. Each of 16 QTL clusters on 10 chromosomes controlled more than one trait and therefore could be regarded as pleiotropic regions in response to different water regimes. Forty-one epistatic QTL were identified for all traits having PVE of 6.00 to 25.07%. Validated QTL closely linked to flanking markers will be beneficial for marker-assisted selection in improving drought-tolerance in wheat.     

Association Analysis of Agronomic and Yield-Related Traits in an Upland Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) Germplasm Population Based on SSR Markers

[Objective] Molecular markers associated with agronomic and yield-related traits could provide useful references for improving the efficiency of Gossypium hirsutum breeding. [Method] In 147 upland cotton materials, 237 Simple Sequence Repeat(SSR) markers were assayed for polymorphisms. The population structure was analyzed using Structure 2.2. An association analysis between SSR markers and the agronomic and yield-related traits was performed using the Tassel 2.1 General Linear Model program. [Result] The average coefficients of variation for the five indicators varied from 7.28% to 21.06%, with an average of 13.47%, which indicated that the test population had a rich phenotypic diversity. The 237 SSR markers included 690 alleles belonging to 281 loci, with an average of 2.455 0 alleles per SSR marker (ranging from 2 to 6), and the average polymorphism information content value was 0.216 5. The test group could be divided into seven subgroups using Structure software. A genome-wide association analysis was conducted on five agronomic and yield-related traits from 2013 to 2015. There were 45 SSR loci and 1 locus significantly (P＜0.01) associated with boll weight and lint percentage, which were detected in 3 or more environments, and they explained 19.30% and 11.58%, respectively, of the phenotypic variation in the different environments (P＜0.01). Nine loci were significantly (P＜0.01) associated with agronomic traits at two or more bowing times, and one, four and four markers were associated with fruit branch number, boll number and plant height, explaining 9.96%, 7.00% and 5.57%, respectively, of the phenotypic variation in different environments. Sites significantly associated with boll weight, fruit branch number and plant height were simultaneously detected near BNL2448. [Conclusion] Many loci associated with the yield and other important agronomic traits of upland cotton were repeatedly detected in different environments using an association analysis. The results provide useful reference information for cotton molecular marker-assisted selection-based breeding.     

Validation of simple sequence repeats associated with quality traits in durum wheat

Over recent years, quality has become an important commercial issue for durum wheat breeders. Modern breeding methods are most efficient for producing and supplying the best quality raw materials to the pasta industry. Here we assessed the effectiveness of molecular marker-assisted selection of quality traits in durum wheat. To this end, DNA and quality trait markers were jointly used to analyze quality-related traits in a durum wheat collection. A total of 132 durum wheat (Triticum turgidum ssp. durum) Mediterranean landraces, international lines, and Moroccan cultivars were analyzed for seven important qualityrelated traits including thousand-kernel weight (TKW), test weight (TW), gluten strength, yellow pigment (YP), and grain protein content (GPC). Additionally, 18 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers previously reported to be associated with different quality traits were analyzed. Of these, 14 (78%) were polymorphic and four were monomorphic. There were between two and seven alleles per locus, with an average of four alleles per locus. The average phenotypic variation value (R²) ranged from 2.81 to 20.43%. Association analysis identified nine markers significantly associated with TKW, TW, and YP, followed by eight markers associated with GPC, six markers associated with yellow index b, four markers associated with brightness L, and three markers associated with SDS-sedimentation volume. This study highlights the efficiency of SSR technology, which holds promise for a wide range of applications in marker-assisted wheat breeding programs.     

黄麻SSR标记与纤维产量性状的相关性

Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers correlated to fiber yield traits would be a beneficial tool for molecular marker-assisted breeding in jute. In this study, 397 SSR markers were screened from 311 jute germplasms by the phenotype identification from 2016 to 2018 and 116 pairs of primers. The correlation analysis between SSR markers and fiber yield related traits by SPSS revealed that the range of the coefficient of variation related to 9 fiber traits was from 13.05% to 76.78%, indicating a comprehensive genetic variation. The correlation analysis of the agronomic traits showed that there were significantly correlations among these traits. The average correlation coefficient between branch height and nodes of main stem was the highest (r = 0.931), followed by the correlation coefficients (r = 0.781) of fresh bark weight per plant and fresh stem weight per plant and the coefficients (r = 0.779) of dry bark weight and fresh bark weight per plant. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the traits of main stem nodes, number of branches, plant height and branch height were relatively stable in different years with the higher broad heritability capacity. Furthermore, the SSR markers associated with fiber yield related traits were identified by Pearson correlation method. Stepwise regression analysis among each trait associated SSR markers indicated that there were six markers associated significantly with fiber yield related traits, and phenotypic variation explained by each SSR marker varied from 3.9% to 22.5%. These results will accelerate the development of molecular design breeding in jute.     

花生SSR标记与农艺性状的相关性

以农家品种四粒红和冀农黑3号构建的包含有251个家系的重组自交系(RIL)群体为材料, 在保定市和邯郸大名县两地进行表型鉴定, 利用Pearson’s相关和逐步多元回归分析了花生农艺性状之间及其与标记的相关性。结果表明, 多数农艺性状间存在显著或极显著相关, 其中相关性最高的为单株生产力和单株仁重(r=0.970), 其次是主茎高和第一侧枝长(r=0.918); 77对SSR标记与18个农艺性状显著相关, 每个性状相关标记数在2~16之间; 14个SSR标记与13个农艺性状关联, 解释的表型变异为5.2%~11.5%。以上结果为今后花生的常规育种和分子标记辅助选择奠定了基础。     

甘蓝型油菜产量及相关性状的QTL分析

高产是甘蓝型油菜育种的重要目标之一，产量是多基因控制的数量性状。本文通过QTL作图分析了产量及其相关性状的数量性状位点，以甘蓝型油菜中油821和保604 F₁代小孢子培养获得的DH系为作图群体，构建了由20个连锁群组成的，包括251个分子标记( 2个RFLP标记，72个RAPD标记，91个SSR标记，86个SRAP标记)的遗传连锁图(10个标记没有分配到连锁群中)。图谱的平均图距为6.96 cM，共覆盖油菜基因组1 746.5 cM。在此图谱基础上采取复合区间作图法，检测到与油菜产量及其相关性状有关的QTL共17个。其中控制株高的3个分别位于第4、第9和第10连锁群上，对性状的解释率为9.42%～17.58%；与分枝部位有关的4个分别位于第4、第6和第7连锁群上，其中Bp1 和Bp2 均位于第4连锁群，对性状的解释率为8.13%～15.20%；与主花序有效长有关的3个分别位于第4、第10和第16连锁群上，对性状的解释率为7.49%～23.36%；与一次有效分枝有关的2个分别位于第1、第4连锁群上，对性状的解释率为15.29%～19.58%；与角果总数和千粒重有关的分别位于第4连锁群和第9连锁群上，贡献率分别为17.42%和7.64%；与单株产量有关的3个分别位于第3、第4和第15连锁群，共解释26.60%的表型变异。部分性状的QTL在连锁群上成簇分布,对性状贡献率很大，表现主效QTLs的特点，相应的性状之间也呈显著相关，这表明一因多效或者相关的QTLs之间紧密连锁是性状相关的遗传基础。本研究中与主效QTLs连锁的标记可用于油菜产量性状的分子标记辅助选择。     

Phenotypic variation in root architecture traits and their relationship with eco-geographical and agronomic features in a core collection of tetraploid wheat landraces (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum turgidum</Emphasis> L.)

To obtain varieties with root systems adapted to marginal environments it is necessary to search for new genotypes in genetically diverse materials, such as landraces that are more likely to carry novel alleles for different root features. A core collection of ‘durum’ wheat, including three subspecies (dicoccon, turgidum and durum) from contrasting eco-geographical zones, was evaluated for root traits and shoot weight at the seminal root stage. Distinctive rooting phenotypes were characterized within each subspecies, mainly in subsp. durum. Contrasting rooting types, including large roots with shallow distributions, and others with high root numbers were identified. Correlations with climatic traits showed that root shape is more relevant in adaptation to eco-geographical zones in subsp. dicoccon, whereas in subsp. turgidum and durum, which come from warmer and drier areas, both size and shape of roots could have adaptive roles. Root traits with the largest positive effects on certain yield components under limited water conditions included root diameter in subsp. dicoccon, root size in turgidum, and root number in durum. Additionally, shoot weight at the seedling stage had important effects in subsp. turgidum and durum. Twenty-eight marker–trait associations (MTAs) previously identified in this collection for agronomic or quality traits were associated with seminal root traits. Some markers were associated with only one root trait, but others were associated with up to six traits. These MTAs and the genetic variability characterized for root traits in this collection can be exploited in further work to improve drought tolerance and resource capture in wheat.     

Genetic diversity and association mapping of agronomic yield traits in eighty six synthetic hexaploid wheat

Association mapping is a method to identify associations between target traits and genetic markers based on linkage disequilibrium (LD) of a quantitative trait locus. Synthetic hexaploid wheat (SHW) is derived from a cross between Triticum durum Desf. and Aegilops tauschii Coss. that enhances genetic diversity and broadens breeding resources. In this study, phenotypic diversity in 110 wheat accessions (86 SHW germplasm specimens and 24 conventional wheat varieties) was evaluated quantitatively for yield characteristics of grains per spike, thousand kernel weight, and spike length. Phenotypic data were collected over two years at two locations, and 1785 alleles were detected (mean 6.59), ranging from 3 to 11 alleles per locus. The average genetic diversity index was 0.749, with a range from 0.239 to 0.923. The polymorphic information content (PIC) ranged from 0.145 to 0.968, with a mean value of 0.695. The genetic diversity index and PIC indicated that genome B > D > A. Accessions were grouped into three subgroups based on STRUCTURE and unweighted pair-group with arithmetic mean clustering. The mean LD decay across the genome was 11.78 cM. Association mapping between traits and simple sequence repeat markers was performed using the generalized linear model approach. Forty-six SSR loci were significantly associated with the measured agronomic traits in two geographic locations. Together, these results broaden our knowledge of how to harness elite genes and genetic diversity in SHW in genomic and marker-assisted selection.     

Association mapping reveals loci associated with multiple traits that affect grain yield and adaptation in soft winter wheat

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are useful to facilitate crop improvement via enhanced knowledge of marker-trait associations (MTA). A GWAS for grain yield (GY), yield components, and agronomic traits was conducted using a diverse panel of 239 soft red winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) genotypes evaluated across two growing seasons and eight site-years. Analysis of variance showed significant environment, genotype, and genotype-by-environment effects for GY and yield components. Narrow sense heritability of GY (h ²  = 0.48) was moderate compared to other traits including plant height (h ²  = 0.81) and kernel weight (h ²  = 0.77). There were 112 significant MTA (p < 0.0005) detected for eight measured traits using compressed mixed linear models and 5715 single nucleotide polymorphism markers. MTA for GY and agronomic traits coincided with previously reported QTL for winter and spring wheat. Highly significant MTA for GY showed an overall negative allelic effect for the minor allele, indicating selection against these alleles by breeders. Markers associated with multiple traits observed on chromosomes 1A, 2D, 3B, and 4B with positive minor effects serve as potential targets for marker assisted breeding to select for improvement of GY and related traits. Following marker validation, these multi-trait loci have the potential to be utilized for MAS to improve GY and adaptation of soft red winter wheat.     

Genetic analysis and phenotypic associations for drought tolerance in Hordeum spontaneum introgression lines using SSR and SNP markers

Associations between markers and drought related traits were investigated on a set of 57 advanced barley breeding lines, carrying various levels of introgression from Hordeum spontaneum lines 41-1 and 41-5, the best sources of drought tolerance in the ICARDA barley breeding program, using 74 simple sequences repeats (SSR) and 20 single nucleotide polymorphism markers. The 57 lines were evaluated for grain yield and drought related traits for three years (2003/04, 2004/05, 2005/06) in nine Mediterranean low rainfall environments. A high level of polymorphism was found with SSR markers, and the mean polymorphism information content and gene diversity values were 0.67 and 0.71, respectively. The number of alleles per locus varied from 2 to 11, with an average of 5.8 alleles per marker. Considering all the 57 lines, the linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis was significant at a comparison-wise P?<?0.01 level in nearly 9 % of the SSR marker pairs used and a decay of LD was observed to a value of r ²?<?0.2 at a genetic distance of 40?cM. The association analysis revealed a total of 147 significant marker?Ctrait associations for grain yield and drought related traits. A total of 72 (49 %) marker?Ctrait associations showed favorable effects of the exotic germplasm where the H. spontaneum lines contributed to an improvement of the trait under drought stress conditions. The number of significant marker?Ctrait associations per trait were: 12 for growth habit; 2 for growth vigor; 11 for peduncle extrusion; 5 for number of grains per spike; 20 for peduncle length; 16 for days to heading; 20 for plant height; 8 for spike length; 17 for thousand kernel weight; 30 for grain yield; 4 for harvest index and 2 for biological yield. The phenotypic variation explained by individual marker?Ctrait associations ranged from 7.6 % to 36.2 %. The identification of genomic regions associated with grain yield and drought related traits is useful for the genetic improvement of cultivars better adapted to drought stress environments. Thus, the present study is encouraging in identifying significant marker?Ctrait associations through LD based association mapping analysis, which could complement and augment previous quantitative trait loci information for the potential use of Marker Assisted Selection for drought.     

Assessing the agronomic potential of linseed genotypes by multivariate analyses and association mapping of agronomic traits

High prices of fish oil make linseed attractive for aquaculture and animal feed. To ensure a constant supply of linseed, the development of stable cultivars is of strategic importance. In this study, 35 linseed genotypes were evaluated in five Chilean environments (E) from 2009 to 2012. The additive main effect and multiplicative interaction analysis (AMMI), genotype (G) plus genotype by environment (GE) interaction (GGE) biplot analysis and three stability parameters were tested with the aim of identifying adapted genotypes for the development of linseed cultivars. An association mapping (AM) analysis was also conducted for four agronomic traits and the stability of the associated markers was evaluated using the QQE (QTL main effect and QTL by environment interaction) approach. Combined analysis of variance for yield, seeds per boll (SPB), plant height (PH) and days to flowering (DTF) were significant for G, E and GE (P < 0.001). The combined stability analysis identified some Canadian, Argentinean and Chilean accessions to be the best adapted and highest yielding genotypes. Coancestry analysis indicated that crossing Canadian and Chilean genotypes could maximize transgressive segregation for yield. Significant associations for DTF, PH and SPB explained up to 59 % of the phenotypic variation for these traits. The QQE and AM analyses were consistent in identifying marker LGM27B as the most stable and significant across all environments with the largest effect in reducing DTF. The combined application of the stability, AM and QQE analyses could accelerate the development of marketable linseed cultivars adapted to Southern Chile.     

黄淮冬麦区175个小麦品种的SSR多态性及其与株高、产量相关性状的关联分析

为了解小麦品种资源的遗传多样性, 筛选株高、产量相关性状相关标记的等位变异, 选用108对覆盖小麦各同源染色体且多态性高的SSR引物, 对黄淮麦区175个小麦品种进行分析。共检测到448个等位变异, 平均每个标记4.15个等位变异, 变化范围为2~14个;全部SSR位点的多态性信息含量(PIC)变化范围为0.075~0.869, 平均为0.561。聚类分析显示同一地区或同一育种单位育成的、具有共同亲本的品种多数聚为一类。关联分析表明, 与株高、产量相关性状显著关联(P<0.01)的标记有23个, 其中3个标记达到极显著(P<0.001)水平。标记wmc128(1B)和wmc236(3B)与小穗数极显著相关, 分别解释小穗数变异的10.5%和8.0%;标记Xgwm129(2B)与千粒重达到极显著相关, 可以解释千粒重变异的19.3%。     

Several stably expressed QTL for spike density of common wheat (Triticum aestivum) in multiple environments

Spike density (SD), an important spike morphological trait associated with wheat yield, is the spikelet number per spike (SNS) divided by spike length (SL). In this study, phenotypic data from eight environments were collected and a recombinant inbred line population (RIL) constructed by the wheat line 20828 and the cultivar 'Chuannong16' and a Wheat55K SNP array-based constructed genetic linkage map were used to identify SD quantitative trait locus (QTL). Correlation between SD and other agronomic traits was calculated. Genes associated with plant growth and development for major loci were predicted. The results showed that 24 QTLs associated with SD were detected in eight environments. Among them, three major QTL, namely QSd.sicau-5B.2, QSd.sicau-2D.3 and QSd.sicau-4B.1, explained up to 35.62%, 14.21% and 11.23% of phenotypic variation, respectively. The positive alleles of them were all derived from 'Chuannong16'. The significant relationships between SD and other agronomic traits were detected and discussed. Taken together, the stably expressed SD QTL under different environments identified in this study provided theoretical guidance for further fine mapping and germplasm improvement.     

Study of genetic diversity in safflower genotypes using agro-morphological traits and RAPD markers

This research was conducted to study the genetic diversity in safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) using agro-morphological traits and RAPD markers. Sixteen selected lines derived from landraces growing in various agro-climatic regions of Iran along with four exotic genotypes were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with three replications under field conditions. Days to emergence, days to initial flowering, days to flowering, days to maturity, plant height, branches per plant, capitula per plant, seeds per capitulum, 1,000-seed weight, seed yield per plant, seed yield, and reaction to powdery mildew (Leveillula taurica Arnaud) were evaluated in this study. Genetic diversity of the genotypes was assessed by RAPD markers. The results indicated significant differences among genotypes for the agro-morphological traits and clustering based on these traits classified the genotypes into five groups. Analysis of the RAPD markers revealed 15 polymorphic primers out of 50 used primers. Based on RAPD data, the highest genetic similarity was observed between the cultivars of “AC Sunset,” “AC Sterling” from Canada and the lowest relatedness observed between a local breeding line “E₂₄₂₈” and genotype “GE₆₂₉₂₃” from Germany. Cluster analysis based on RAPD markers and 54% coefficient of similarity divided the genotypes into five distinct groups. Comparing the clusters based on agro-morphological traits with those from molecular markers showed slight similarities. The finding of high genetic variation for agro-morphological traits and polymorphism at DNA level reveal that agronomic traits can be improved by selection programs.     

Genetic dissection of rice (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oryza sativa</Emphasis> L.) tiller,plant height,and grain yield based on QTL mapping and metaanalysis

Tiller number per plant (TN) and plant height (PH) are important agronomic traits related to grain yield (GY) in rice (Oryza sativa L.). A total of 30 additive quantitative trait loci (A-QTL) and 9 significant additive × environment interaction QTLs (AE-QTL) were detected, while the phenotypic and QTL correlations confirmed the intrinsic relationship of the three traits. These QTLs were integrated with 986 QTLs from previous studies by metaanalysis. Consensus maps contained 7156 markers for a total map length of 1112.71 cM, onto which 863 QTLs were projected; 78 meta-QTLs (MQTLs) covering 11 of the 30 QTLs were detected from the cross between Dongnong422 and Kongyu131 in this study. A total of 705 predicted genes were distributed over the 21 MQTL intervals with physical length <0.3 Mb; 13 of the 21 MQTLs, and 34 candidate genes related to grain yield and plant development, were screened. Five major QTLs, viz. qGY6-2, qPH7-2, qPH6-3, qTN6-1, and qTN7-1, were not detected in the MQTL intervals and could be used as newly discovered QTLs. Candidate genes within these QTL intervals will play a meaningful role in molecular marker-assisted selection and map-based cloning of rice TN, PH, and GY.     

花生单株生产力与主要农艺性状间的相关性研究

为了解各主要农艺性状对花生单株生产力影响的主次关系,利用来源于5个国家的126份花生栽培种资源为试验材料,通过表型相关性分析和灰色关联度分析相结合的方法,探讨了12个农艺性状与单株生产力之间的密切程度。结果表明：单株总果数和单株饱果数对花生单株生产力的影响最大,其次为结果枝数和百仁重;而主茎高、侧枝长、出仁率和公斤果数对其影响较小。单株总果数、单株饱果数、结果枝数与单株生产力的表型、遗传型和环境相关系数大小基本一致,而出仁率与单株生产力之间的环境相关系数为0.185,显著小于表型(0.521)和遗传型(0.650)相关系数;且从单个性状的广义遗传率来看,单株总果数、单株饱果数和结果枝数的广义遗传率均小于50%,百仁重的广义遗传率为88.8%。综上所述,在选育高产花生新品种的过程中,首先应注重大籽品系的选育,其次考虑单株果数和结果枝数多的品系。且通过单株果数和结果枝数性状来选育高产花生新品种时,需考虑环境因素对产量的影响。     

Molecular and comparative mapping for heading date and plant height in oat

Selection of oat genotypes combining earliness and short plant height could stimulate oat cultivation worldwide. However, the mechanisms involved with the genetic control of heading date and plant height traits are not fully understood to date. This study aimed to identify genomic regions controlling heading date and plant height in two hulled by naked oat populations and to compare these genomic regions with that of other grass species. Recombinant inbred lines of each population and their parents were genotyped by a 6 K BeadChip Illumina Infinium array and assessed for heading date and plant height in two sowing dates. The quantitative trait loci (QTL) affecting these traits were detected by simple interval mapping. The two oat populations showed different genetic mechanisms controlling heading date. A major QTL was identified in one of the populations, mapped into the ‘Mrg33’ consensus linkage group from the current oat map. Two other QTL were detected into the ‘Mrg02’ and ‘Mrg24’ groups, in the second population. On the other hand, both populations presented the same genomic region controlling plant height. Six SNP markers, mapping on the same linkage group within each population, were associated with the trait, regardless the sowing date, explaining more than 20% of the phenotypic variation. Five of these six markers were mapped into three different linkage groups on the oat consensus map. Genomic regions associated with heading date and plant height in oat seem to be conserved in Oryza sativa L. and Brachypodium distachyon. Our results provide valuable information for marker-assisted selection in oats, allowing selection for earliness and plant height on early segregating generations.