Dry matter accumulation and partitioning during the early phases of development could significantly affect crop growth and productivity. In this study, the aboveground dry matter (DM), the DM of different organs, and partition coefficients of a maize association mapping panel of 412 inbred lines were evaluated at the third and sixth leaf stages (V3 and V6). Further, the properties of these phenotypic traits were analyzed. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were conducted on the total aboveground biomass and the DM of different organs. Analysis of GWAS results identified a total of 1,103 unique candidate genes annotated by 678 significant SNPs (P value < 1.28e–6). A total of 224 genes annotated by SNPs at the top five of each GWAS method and detected by multiple GWAS methods were regarded as having high reliability. Pathway enrichment analysis was also performed to explore the biological significance and functions of these candidate genes. Several biological pathways related to the regulation of seed growth, gibberellin-mediated signaling pathway, and long-day photoperiodism were enriched. The results of our study could provide new perspectives on breeding high-yielding maize varieties.

在发展的早期阶段，干物质的积累和分配可能会严重影响作物的生长和生产力。在这项研究中，在第三和第六叶片阶段（V3和V6）评估了地上干物质（DM），不同器官的DM和412个自交系的玉米缔合作图面板的分配系数。此外，分析了这些表型性状的特性。对整个地上生物量和不同器官的DM进行了全基因组关联研究（GWAS）。对GWAS结果的分析确定了总共1,103个独特的候选基因，并用678个重要SNP进行了注释（P值<1.28e–6）。在每种GWAS方法的前五位中，由SNP注释并通过多种GWAS方法检测到的总共224个基因被认为具有很高的可靠性。还进行了途径富集分析，以探索这些候选基因的生物学意义和功能。丰富了与种子生长，赤霉素介导的信号传导途径和长期光周期作用有关的几种生物学途径。我们的研究结果可以为育种高产玉米品种提供新的观点。