Genetic dissection for phosphorus uptake and utilization efficiency at seedling stage in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

The identification of germplasm with high phosphorus efficiency is helpful to the genetic improvement of wheat. In this study, a doubled haploid (DH) population was used to investigate the traits related to phosphorus efficiency and map relevant loci under different conditions. On this basis, the association panel was used to verify mapping results. The results showed that shoot phosphorus concentration (SPC) and shoot phosphorus uptake per plant (SPUP) decreased, while shoot phosphorus utilization efficiency (SPUE) increased under low phosphorus. Correlation analysis showed that seedling biomass and root diameter could provide reference for identification of phosphorus efficiency. Twenty-one stable loci related to phosphorus efficiency were detected by linkage analysis. Among these, 11 loci including QRC-4D, QSpue.7A.2, and QSpup.7A.2 haven't been reported yet. The physical interval of QRC-4D was detected by three seedling phosphorus efficiency indexes, along with five seedling morphological indexes and five adult agronomic traits, which explained phenotypic variation up to 31.18%. In the association panel, QSpue.7A.2 associated with SPUE was also detected by genome-wide association study. Gene analysis revealed two candidate genes related to phosphorus within QRC-4D and QSpue.7A.2. These results provide valuable insights into genetic improvement and gene mining aimed at improving high phosphorus efficiency in wheat. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-025-01596-8.