Targeted re-sequencing and genome-wide association analysis for wood property traits in breeding population of Eucalyptus tereticornis × E. grandis

Globally, Eucalyptus plantations occupy 22 million ha area and is one of the preferred hardwood species due to their short rotation, rapid growth, adaptability and wood properties. In this study, we present results of GWAS in parents and 100 hybrids of Eucalyptus tereticornis × E. grandis using 762 genes presumably involved in wood formation. Comparative analysis between parents predicted 32,202 polymorphic SNPs with high average read depth of 269-562× per individual per nucleotide. Seventeen wood related traits were phenotyped across three diverse environments and GWAS was conducted using 13,610 SNPs. A total of 45 SNP-trait associations were predicted across two locations. Seven large effect markers were identified which explained more than 80% of phenotypic variation for fibre area. This study has provided an array of candidate genes which may govern fibre morphology in this genus and has predicted potential SNPs which can guide future breeding programs in tropical Eucalyptus.