Genome wide association studies (GWAS) of element contents in grain with a special focus on zinc and iron in a world collection of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

Genome wide association studies (GWAS) were carried out to map Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) associated with element contents in the grain using 336 spring barley. Of the elements analyzed, Fe content ranged from 21.9 to 91.0 mg kg−1, Zn from 10.4 to 54.5 mg kg−1, Ba from 0.2 to 8.9, Ca from 186.4 to 977.5, Cu from 1.5 to 9.8, K from 353.2 to 7721.5, Mg from 1049.8 to 2024.2, Mn from 8.1 to 22.9, Na from 55.9 to 627.9, P from 2272.9 to 5428.8, S from 880.7 to 1898.0, Si from 19.1 to 663.2, and Sr from 0.35 to 2.62 mg kg−1. GWAS were carried out using 6519 SNP markers and multiple elements in MLM:PCA + K model in TASSEL software. Population analyses showed two sub-populations, primarily based on row types. GWAS for row types showed association with INTERMEDIUM-C, a modifier gene for lateral spikelet fertility in the 4H chromosome, validating current GWAS approach. GWAS also showed that 2 QTL for Ba, 2 for Ca, 4 for Cu, 11 for Fe, 2 for K, 3 for Mg, 6 for Mn, 4 for Na, 3 for S, 5 for Si, and 3 for Zn were mapped in barley chromosomes. The QTL identified in the current study are valuable for breeding nutrient dense barley cultivars in the future, especially Zn and Fe.