Genetic dissection of fruit weight and size in an F2 peach (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch) progeny

Fruit weight is a quantitative trait influenced by the combined action of several genes and environmental factors. Knowledge of the quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with fruit weight and size is a priority to support breeding programmes in peach (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch) because of commercial interest in larger fruits. To this end, we built a genetic map of an F2 progeny of 117 individuals from the cross PI91459 (‘NJ Weeping’) 9 ‘Bounty’ using a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping array for peach (9K SNP array v1). Data for fruit weight, height,width, and depth were recorded for the progeny and both parents over 2 years (2011, 2012). Correlations between the traits fruit weight and size were positive and significant for both years. A SNP map was constructed comprising 1,148 markers distributed over eight linkage groups. The map spans 536.6 cM with an average distance between markers of 0.52 cM, covering 93.6 % of the physical length of the peach genome, thus representing an ideal basis for QTL mapping. QTL analysis led to the identification of a total of 28 QTLs for the considered traits, eleven of which remained stable in both years. We also observed clusters of QTLs, some of which were mapped for the first time, while others correspond to loci previously identified in different progenies and following different approaches.