Abstract
The non-structural dry matter content of onion bulbs consists principally of fructose, glucose, sucrose and fructans. The objective of this study was to understand the genetic basis for the wide variation observed in the relative amounts of these carbohydrates. Bulb carbohydrate composition was evaluated in progeny from crosses between high dry matter storage onion varieties and sweet, low dry matter varieties. When samples were analysed on a dry weight basis, reducing sugar and fructan content exhibited high negative correlations and bimodal segregation suggestive of the action of a major gene. A polymorphic SSR marker, ACM235, was identified which exhibited strong disequilibrium with bulb fructan content in F2:3 families from the ‘W202A’ × ‘Texas Grano 438’ map** population evaluated in two environments. This marker was mapped to chromosome 8 in the interspecific population ‘Allium cepa × A. roylei’. Map** in the ‘Colossal Grano PVP’ × ‘Early Longkeeper P12’ F2 population showed that a dominant major gene conditioning high-fructan content lay in the same genomic region. QTL analysis of total bulb fructan content in the intraspecific map** population ‘BYG15-23’ × ‘AC43’ using a complete molecular marker map revealed only one significant QTL in the same chromosomal region. This locus, provisionally named Frc, may account for the major phenotypic differences in bulb carbohydrate content between storage and sweet onion varieties.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- DM:
-
Dry matter content
- SSC:
-
Soluble solids content
- PCA:
-
Principal components analysis
- REML:
-
Restricted maximum likelihood
- SSCP:
-
Single-stranded conformation polymorphism
References
Aljanabi SM, Forget L, Dookun A (1999) An improved and rapid protocol for the isolation of polysaccharide- and polyphenol-free sugarcane DNA. Plant Mol Biol Rep 17:1–8
Churchill GA, Doerge RW (1994) Empirical threshold values for quantitative trait map**. Genetics 138:963–971
Darbyshire B, Henry RJ (1978) The distribution of fructans in onions. New Phytol 81:29–34
Darbyshire B, Henry RJ (1979) The association of fructans with high percentage dry weight in onion cultivars suitable for dehydration. J Sci Food Agric 30:1035–1038
Ernst MK, Chatterton NJ, Harrison PA, Matitschka G (1998) Characterization of fructan oligomers from species of the genus Allium L. J Plant Physiol 153:53–60
Fujishima M, Sakai H, Ueno K, Takahashi N, Onodera S, Benkeblia N, Shiomi N (2005) Purification and characterization of a fructosyltransferase from onion bulbs and its key role in the synthesis of fructo-oligosaccharides in vivo. New Phytol 165:513–524
Galmarini CR, Goldman IL, Havey MJ (2001) Genetic analyses of correlated solids, flavor, and health-enhancing traits in onion (Allium cepa L.). Mol Genet Genomics 265:543–551
Goldman IL, Schroek G, Havey MJ (2000) History of public onion breeding programs in the United States. Plant Breed Rev 20:68–103
Griffiths G, Trueman L, Crowther T, Thomas B, Smith B (2002) Onions-a global benefit to health. Phytother Res 16:603–615
Hang TT, Shigyo M, Yaguchi S, Yamauchi N, Tashiro Y (2004) Effect of single alien chromosome from shallot (Allium cepa L. Aggregatum group) on carbohydrate production in leaf blade of bunching onion (A. fistulosum L.). Genes Genet Syst 79:345–350
Havey MJ, Galmarini CR, Gokce AF, Henson C (2004) QTL affecting soluble carbohydrate concentrations in stored onion bulbs and their association with flavor and health-enhancing attributes. Genome 47:463–468
van Heusden AW, Shigyo M, Tashiro Y, Vrielink-van Ginkel R, Kik C (2000a) AFLP linkage group assignment to the chromosomes of Allium cepa L. via monosomic addition lines. Theor Appl Genet 100:480–486
van Heusden AW, van Ooijen JW, Vrielink-van Ginkel R, Verbeek WHJ, Wietsma WA, Kik C (2000b) A genetic map of an interspecific cross in Allium based on amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLPTM) markers. Theor Appl Genet 100:118–126
Jaime L, Martin-Cabrejas M, Molla E, Lopez-Andreu F, Esteban R (2001) Effect of storage on fructan and frucyooligosaccharide of onion (Allium cepa L.). J Agric Food Chem 49:982–988
Jones RN (1990) Cytogenetics. In: Brewster HRRJL (ed) Onions and allied crops. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 199–214
Jones HA, Mann LK (1963) Onions and their allies, 1st edn. Interscience Publishers, London, New York
Kadams AM, Nwasike CC (1986) Heritability and correlation studies of some vegetative traits in Nigerian local white onion. Plant Breed 97:232–236
Kahane R, Pitiot C, Chamaux C, Vialle-Guerin E, Schweisguth B (2001a) Non-structural carbohydrate composition of long-day onion in vitro. J Hortic Sci Biotechnol 76:320–326
Kahane R, Vialle-Guerin E, Boukema I, Tzanoudakis D, Bellamy C, Chamaux C, Kik C (2001b) Changes in non-structural carbohydrate composition during bulbing in sweet and high-solid onions in field experiments. Environ Expt Bot 45:73–83
King JJ, Bradeen JM, Bark O, McCallum JA, Havey MJ (1998) A low-density genetic map of onion reveals a role for tandem duplication in the evolution of an extremely large diploid genome. Theor Appl Genet 96:52–62
Kuhl JC, Cheung F, Yuan Q, Martin W, Zewdie Y, McCallum J, Catanach A, Rutherford P, Sink KC, Jenderek M, Prince JP, Town CD, Havey MJ (2004) A unique set of 11,008 onion expressed sequence tags reveals expressed sequence and genomic differences between the monocot orders Asparagales and Poales. Plant Cell 16:114–125
Lercari B (1982) Changes in invertase activities during the photoperiodically induced bulb formation of onion (Allium cepa L.). Physiol Plant 54:480–484
Lin M, Watson JF, Baggett JR (1995) Inheritance of soluble solids and pyruvic acid content of bulb onions. J Am Soc Hort Sci 120:119–122
Mann L, Hoyle BJ (1944) Use of the refractometer for selecting onion bulbs high in dry matter for breeding. Proc Am Soc Hort Sci 46:285–292
Martin W, McCallum J, Shigyo M, Jakse J, Kuhl J, Yamane N, Pither-Joyce M, Gokce A, Sink K, Town C, Havey M (2005) Genetic map** of expressed sequences in onion and in silico comparisons with rice show scant colinearity. Mol Genet Genomics 274:197–204
McCallum JA, Grant DG, McCartney EP, Scheffer J, Shaw ML, Butler RC (2001a) Genotypic and environmental variation in bulb composition of New Zealand adapted onion (Allium cepa) germplasm. N Z J Crop Hortic Sci 29:149–158
McCallum JA, Leite D, Pither-Joyce MD, Havey MJ (2001b) Expressed sequence markers for genetic analysis of bulb onion (Allium cepa. L.). Theor Appl Genet 103:979–991
McCallum JA, Pither-Joyce MD, Shaw ML (2002) Sulfur deprivation and genotype affect gene expression and metabolism of onion roots. J Am Soc Hort Sci 127:583–589
McCallum J, Porter N, Searle B, Shaw M, Bettjeman B, McManus M (2005) Sulfur and nitrogen fertility affects flavour of field-grown onions. Plant Soil 274:151–158
McCleary BV, Murphy A, Mugford DC (2000) Measurement of total fructan in foods by enzymatic/spectrophotometric method: collaborative study. J AOAC Int 83:356–364
McCollum G (1968) Heritability and genetic correlation of soluble solids, bulb size and shape in white sweet spanish onion. Can J Genet Cytol 10:508–514
Moshfegh AJ, Friday JE, Goldman JP, Ahuja JKC (1999) Presence of inulin and oligofructose in the diets of Americans. J Nutr 129:1407S–1411S
O’Donoghue EM, Somerfield SD, Shaw M, Bendall M, Hedderly D, Eason J, Sims I (2004) Evaluation of carbohydrates in Pukekohe Longkeeper and Grano cultivars of Allium cepa. J Agric Food Chem 52:5383–5390
van Ooijen JW, Maliepaard C (2002) MapQTL Version 5.0: Software for the calculation of QTL positions on genetic maps 5.0. Plant Research International BV, Wageningen
van Ooijen JW, Voorips RE (2002) JoinMap 3.0: software for the calculation of genetic linkage maps. Plant Research International BV, Wageningen
Payne RW, Baird DB, Cherry M, Gilmour AR, Harding SA, Kane AF, Lane PW, Murray DA, Soutar DM, Thompson R, Todd AD, Tunnicliffe Wilson G, Webster R, Welham SJ (2003) GenStat 7.1. Lawes Agricultural Trust
Pearson ES, Hartley HO, (1970) Biometrika tables for statisticians, 3rd ed. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Randle WM, Lancaster JE, Shaw ML, Sutton KH, Hay RL, Bussard ML (1995) Quantifying onion flavor compounds responding to sulfur fertility—sulfur increases levels of alk(en)yl cysteine sulfoxides and biosynthetic intermediates. J Am Soc Hort Sci 120:1075–1081
Ritsema T, Smeekens S (2003) Fructans: beneficial for plants and humans. Curr Opin Plant Biol 6:223–230
Ritsema T, Joling J, Smeekens S (2003) Patterns of fructan synthesized by onion fructan:fructan 6G-fructosyltransferase expressed in tobacco BY2 cells—is fructan:fructan 1-fructosyltransferase needed in onion? New Phytol 160:61–67
Shigyo M, Tashiro Y, Isshiki S, Miyazaki S (1996) Establishment of a series of alien monosomic addition lines of Japanese bunching onion (Allium fistulosum L) with extra chromosomes from shallot (A. cepa L. aggregatum group). Genes and Genet Syst 71:363–371
Shigyo M, Iino M, Isshiki S, Tashiro Y (1997) Morphological characteristics of a series of alien monosomic addition lines of Japanese bunching onion (Allium Fistulosum L.) with extra chromosomes from shallot (A.cepa L. aggregatum group). Genes Genet Syst 72:181–186
Shiomi N, Onodera S, Sakai H (1997) Fructo-oligosaccharide content and fructosyltransferase activity during growth of onion bulbs. New Phytol 136:105–113
Simon PW (1995) Genetic analysis of pungency and soluble solids in long-storage onions. Euphytica 82:1–8
Sims IM, Pollock CJ, Horgan R (1992) Structural analysis of oligomeric fructans from excised leaves of Lolium temulentum. Phytochemistry 31:2989–2992
Sinclair PJ, Blakeney AB, Barlow EWR (1995a) Relationships between bulb dry matter content, soluble solids concentration and non-structural carbohydrate composition in the onion (Allium cepa). J Sci Food Agric 69:203–209
Sinclair PJ, Neeson RJ, Barlow EWR (1995b) Osmotic potential and soluble solids concentration in onion (Allium cepa) bulbs. J Sci Food Agric 69:211–214
Thomas B, P. H, Partis M (1997) Gene regulation in onion. In: JL Burba CG (eds) First international symposium on edible Alliiaceae, Mendoza, Argentina, 1994. Acta Horticulturae 433:375–380
Timmerman-Vaughan GM, Mills A, Whitfield C, Frew T, Butler R, Murray S, Lakeman M, McCallum J, Russell A, Wilson D (2005) Linkage map** of QTL for seed yield, yield components, and developmental traits in pea. Crop Sci 45:1336–1344
Vijn I, Vandijken A, Sprenger N, Vandun K, Weisbeek P, Wiemken A, Smeekens S (1997) Fructan of the inulin neoseries is synthesized in transgenic chicory plants (Cichorium Intybus L) harbouring onion (Allium Cepa L) fructan-fructan 6-fructosyltransferase. Plant J 11:387–398
Vijn I, Vandijken A, Luscher M, Bos A, Smeets E, Weisbeek P, Wiemken A, Smeekens S (1998) Cloning of sucrose—sucrose 1—fructosyltransferase from onion and synthesis of structurally defined fructan molecules from sucrose. Plant Physiol 117:1507–1513
Vos P, Hogers R, Bleeker M, Reijans M, Vandelee T, Hornes M, Frijters A, Pot J, Peleman J, Kuiper M, Zabeau M (1995) AFLP—a new technique for DNA fingerprinting. Nucleic Acids Res 22:4407–4414
Wall AD, Corgan JN (1999) Heritability estimates and progeny testing of phenotypic selections for soluble solids content in dehydrator onion. Euphytica 106:7–13
Wehner TC (1999) Vegetable cultivar descriptions for North America; List 25; 1999. Hortscience 34:957–1012
Weir BS (1990) Genetic data analysis: methods for discrete population data, 1st edn. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland
Acknowledgements
This research was funded by the New Zealand Foundation for Research, Science and Technology contracts C02X0203 and C02X0202. We acknowledge the assistance of Martyn Callaghan, Enza Zaden NZ Ltd, for technical advice, Paul McCartney and Winston Fahey for bulb and seed production and Doug Grant (Hybrid Seed Company) for population development.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Communicated by P. Langridge
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
McCallum, J., Clarke, A., Pither-Joyce, M. et al. Genetic map** of a major gene affecting onion bulb fructan content . Theor Appl Genet 112, 958–967 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-005-0199-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-005-0199-5