Quantitative trait loci for quality and agronomic traits in two advanced backcross populations in oat ( Avena sativa L.)

Using the advanced backcross quantitative trait loci ( AB‐QTL ) strategy, we successfully transferred and mapped valuable allelic variants from the high β‐glucan ( BG ) accession IAH 611 (PI 502955), into the genome of cultivar ‘Iltis’. By backcrossing one BC 1 F 1 plant to ‘Iltis’, we developed two BC 2 F 2‐6 populations A and B, comprising 98 and 72 F 2 ‐individuals, respectively. Genotyping of BC 2 F 2 individuals with predominantly AFLP markers resulted in 12 linkage groups with a map size of 455.4 cM for Population A and 11 linkage groups with a map size of 313.5 cM for Population B. Both populations were grown at three sites in Germany over a three‐year period. Individuals were then phenotyped for 13 traits including grain yield ( YD ) and β‐glucan content (BG). QTL analysis via stepwise regression detected a total of 33 QTLs, most of which were clustered in three linkage groups. Two dense linkage groups A1 and B13 were found to be putatively homologous to groups KO_6 and KO_11 of the ‘Kanota’/‘Ogle’ map, respectively.