Metabolomics Quantitative Trait Loci Mapping of Medicinal Plants and Crops

Genetic association studies and quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis serve as indispensable tools for identifying genes and genomic regions associated with various traits. The rapid development of genomics and its application in plant breeding has profoundly impacted the field, fostering discoveries and revolutionizing breeding strategies. For a better understanding of plant physiology, complete information on biochemical pathways is imperative across different organizational levels, encompassing simple to intricate networks that regulate trait expression. Over the past decades, the emergence of metabolomics as a vital branch of “omics” has played a pivotal role in determining and quantifying metabolites governing cellular processes. The combination of metabolomics and post-genomic approaches has recently allowed proficient examination of genetic and phenotypic associations in cultivated crops. A novel and powerful methodology, Metabolomic Quantitative Trait Locus (mQTL) mapping, has emerged as an approach to unravel the genetic components and loci contributing to the variability in metabolic profiles. This chapter provides an in-depth exploration of mQTL mapping in both medicinal and crop plants, elucidating its significance in unraveling the intricate interplay between genetics and metabolic pathways.

Keywords: GC-MS, Metabolomics, Metabolites, mQTL, NGS.