Exploring the world's Capsicum genetic resources

Exploring the world's Capsicum genetic resources has revealed genes determining robust agronomic traits in contrasting agricultural environments: promising targets for adapting to climate change.

Using the European G2P-SOL project's global collection of 10,038 wild and cultivated Capsicum accessions from 10 international genebanks, we built a core collection of 423 accessions representing known genetic diversity. Since complex traits often depend on genotype-environment (GxE) interactions, genome-wide multi-environment association analyses with a genotypic matrix of 10,195 markers were carried out on 350 C. annuum accessions, phenotyped in six independent trials carried out in five countries with contrasted climates. QTLs (Quantitative Trait Loci) specific to each environment or common to several environments were detected for 23 agronomic traits. We identified 97 candidate genes potentially involved in 53 of the most robust and reliable QTLs for fruit flavor, color, size and shape, as well as for plant productivity, vigor and earliness. This study of the genetic architecture of agronomic traits will facilitate the tomorrow’s breeding.