Association Between SNP183 and Bolting Tendency in Sugar Beet

The objective of this study was the identification of SNP molecular markers linked to bolting tendency in sugar beet. Two parental lines, respectively characterized by low and high bolting tendency, were subjected to RAD-sequencing in order to develop discriminating SNPs between the lines. 6,324 putative SNPs were identified and 384 of them were tested on a set of 10 genotypes, each divided into 10 non-bolted individuals and 10 bolted individuals, per a total of 200 samples. Among 384 candidate SNPs, the strongest overall association was found for SNP183, where the allelic chi-square test value was 10.57 with a p-value of 0.05. DNA sequence of SNP183 was mapped on the sugar beet gene Bv_22330_orky. This gene was found to be homologous with a matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) gene causing late flowering and early senescence in Arabidopsis thaliana. Our analysis supported the evidence of the significant role of SNP183 polymorphisms in bolting tendency.