Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Plant height (PH) and ear height (EH) are key plant architectural traits in maize, which will affect the photosynthetic efficiency, high plant density tolerance, suitability for mechanical harvesting. METHODS: QTL mapping were conducted for PH and EH using a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population and two corresponding immortalized backcross (IB) populations obtained from crosses between the RIL population and the two parental lines. RESULTS: A total of 17 and 15 QTL were detected in the RIL and IB populations, respectively. Two QTL, qPH1-1 (qEH1-1) and qPH1-2 (qEH1-4) in the RIL, were simultaneously identified for PH and EH. Combing reported genome-wide association and cloned PH-related genes, co-expression network analyses were constructed, then five candidate genes with high confidence in major QTL were identified including Zm00001d011117 and Zm00001d011108, whose homologs have been confirmed to play a role in determining PH in maize and soybean. DISCUSSION: QTL mapping used a immortalized backcross population is a new strategy. These identified genes in this study can provide new insights for improving the plant architecture in maize.