Detection of quantitative trait loci underlying fruiting body and yield-related traits in Hericium erinaceus

Abstract Hericium erinaceus is a well-known mushroom with compelling health-promoting properties. Detection of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) underlying favorable agronomic traits is essential for breeding of elite cultivars of H. erinaceus. In the present study, a segregation population of H. erinaceus was constructed by crossing the F1 progenies with one tester monokaryon. Five important traits related to fruiting body and yield in this segregation population were surveyed. Then QTL mapping for genetic variation of the surveyed traits were conducted. Two strains, 4–1 and 4–15, with promising phenotypes related to weight of fruiting body and precocity were identified in this population. Correlation analysis indicated that weight of fruiting body was the key positive contributor to yield. A total of eight QTLs underlying fruiting body and yield-related traits were found to be scattered on seven linkage groups. The phenotypic variations explained by each QTL varied from 9.6% to 20.1%. The physical length of the confidence intervals for eight QTLs ranged from 66.6 kb to 315.6 kb, and contained 22 to 94 protein-coding genes. Among them, a few genes that may be involved in fruiting body development were found, which may be candidates regulating fruiting body and yield-related traits. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the genetic dissection of fruiting body and yield-related traits using linkage-based QTL mapping in H. erinaceus. Findings of the present study will facilitate marker-assisted breeding of elite cultivars in H. erinaceus.