GWAS analysis of some Triticum monococcum genotypes for the content of particular elements

Malnutrition is a factor that significantly affects human health, especially in developing and grain-based fed countries. ort his reason, increasing the nutritional content of cereals is a priority research area and using genotypes having a wide genetic variation in breeding program ise a sustainable approach. Einkorn (Triticum monococcum), which was first cultivated and rich in nutritional content, can be used ort his purpose. In this study, Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) was performed through genotyping by sequencing (GBS) method in a T. monococcum collection consisting of 252 accessions. The collection was evaluated for properties such as micro (Fe, Zn, Cu, and Mn) and macro (Mg and Ca) element contents, thousand kernel weight (TKW) and plant height (PH). High variation and low to moderate heritability were observed for the traits studied. Three different subpopulations were identified using the ADMIXTURE program and principal component analysis (PCA). GWAS analysis for the identified features was performed in R according to the FarmCPU and MLM model using the Memory Efficient, Visualization Enhanced and Parallel Accelerated Tool (rMVP) package. For the above-mentioned features, a total of 26 MTAs were identified above the Bonferroni threshold according to the FarmCPU model and a total of 15 MTAs according to the MLM model. This study determined the presence of high genetic diversity for element contents, TKW, and PH in T. monococcum germplasm; demonstrated the utility of GWAS analysis in identifying novel loci that would be useful to increase variation in the A genome to improve nutritional quality of wheat.