This project includes two part:

1. In the section on the utilization and development of molecular markers associated with drought tolerance and other key traits in maize, two maize varieties with superior drought tolerance were crossed (ZM-00003 × ZM-00004) this year. The resulting hybrid seeds were harvested and an bulk population was established, which will be used for subsequent selfing of individual plants and further analyses. Additionally, to expand the genetic pool of potential drought-tolerant maize breeding materials, 47 newly collected maize accessions were analyzed for SNP polymorphisms in drought-associated genes (dhn1, rsp41). These results will provide valuable reference data for evaluating and selecting new hybrid combinations in future breeding programs.
2. In the section on the development of molecular markers for Fusarium wilt resistance in luffa, this year, an inoculation test for Fusarium wilt was conducted on an F2 segregating population derived from crosses between resistant and susceptible lines of cylindrical luffa. Based on the phenotypic segregation ratio, it was inferred that a single recessive resistance gene might be present. Genotyping analysis was performed using ddRAD-seq, and, after filtering, 1,151 SNPs were retained for linkage group analysis and gene mapping. The resistant gene might be located on the chromosome 6.

▲Fig 1. The harvested hybrid seeds derived from the cross of two candidate drought tolerance maize lines (ZM-00003 × ZM-00004).

▲Fig 2. The mapping result of resistant genes for luffa fusarium wilt.