Genome-Environment Association Analysis for Bio-Climatic Variables in Common Bean (<i>Phaseolus vulgaris</i> L.) from Brazil

• Main Authors: Júlio Cesar F. Elias, Maria Celeste Gonçalves-Vidigal, Andrea Ariani, Giseli Valentini, Maria da Conceição Martiniano-Souza, Mariana Vaz Bisneta, Paul Gepts
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-07-01
• Series: Plants
• Subjects: genome-wide association study (GWAS); single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP); regional adaptation; water stress
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/10/8/1572

Abiotic stress is a limiting factor for common bean (<i>Phaseolus vulgaris L.</i>) production globally. The study of the genotypic, phenotypic, and bio-climatic variables in a broad set of accessions may assist the identification of genomic regions involved in the climatic adaptation of the common bean. We conducted a genotyping-by-sequencing analysis using 28,823 SNPs on 110 georeferenced common bean accessions from Brazil to discover associations between SNPs and bio-climatic indexes. The population structure analysis clustered the accessions into two groups corresponding to the Andean and Mesoamerican gene pools. Of the 19 bioclimatic variables, 17 exhibited a significant association with SNPs on chromosomes Pv01, Pv02, Pv03, Pv04, Pv06, Pv09, Pv10, and Pv11 of common bean. Ten candidate genes were associated with specific bio-climatic variables related to temperature and precipitation. The candidate genes associated with this significant Pv09 region encode a Platz transcription factor family protein previously reported to be an essential regulator of drought stress. The SNP markers and candidate genes associated with the bio-climatic variables should be validated in segregating populations for water stress, which could further be used for marker-assisted selection. As a result, bean breeding programs may be able to provide advances in obtaining drought-tolerant cultivars.