Photosynthesis plays an extremely important role throughout the life cycle of plants. Improving the photosynthetic rate is a major target for increasing crop productivity. This study was conducted to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with the net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Cond), intercellular carbon dioxide concentration (Ci) and transpiration rate (Trmmol) through genome-wide association study (GWAS) and to inspect the relationships among these traits in soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.). A population of 219 soybean accessions was used in this research. A total of 12 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with Pn, Cond, Ci and Trmmol were detected and distributed on chromosomes 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, and 19, and some of these QTL overlapped with previously reported QTLs. Furthermore, four candidate genes were identified, and there were significantly different expression levels between the high-light-efficiency accessions and low-light-efficiency accessions. These putative genes may participate in the regulation of photosynthesis through different metabolic pathways. Therefore, the associated novel QTLs and candidate genes detected in this study will provide a theoretical basis for genetic studies of photosynthesis and provide new avenues for crop improvement.

中文翻译：

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GWAS 揭示了大豆光合作用相关性状的两个新基因座。


光合作用在植物的整个生命周期中起着极其重要的作用。提高光合速率是提高作物生产力的主要目标。本研究通过全基因组关联研究（GWAS）来鉴定与净光合速率（Pn）、气孔导度（Cond）、细胞间二氧化碳浓度（Ci）和蒸腾速率（Trmmol）相关的单核苷酸多态性（SNP）并检查大豆（Glycine max (L.) Merr.）这些性状之间的关系。本研究使用了 219 个大豆品种。共检测到 12 个与 Pn、Cond、Ci 和 Trmmol 相关的数量性状位点（QTL），分布在 1、2、6、7、9、11、12、13、15、16、18 和 19 号染色体上。其中一些 QTL 与之前报道的 QTL 重叠。此外，还鉴定了四个候选基因，并且高光效材料和低光效率材料之间的表达水平存在显着差异。这些假定的基因可能通过不同的代谢途径参与光合作用的调节。因此，本研究检测到的相关新QTL和候选基因将为光合作用遗传研究提供理论基础，并为作物改良提供新途径。