A Genome-Wide Association Analysis of Resistance to Goss's Wilt of Maize.

Goss’s wilt is a bacterial disease of maize caused by a gram positive bacterium Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. nebraskensis (Cmn). Goss’s wilt has re-emerged as a disease of economic importance in the western United States and is spreading to other areas of North America. One possible reason for re-appearance of Goss’s wilt could be the increase in susceptibility of germplasm used in commercial maize breeding. Therefore, it is important to screen the maize germplasm and identify the sources of resistance to Goss’s wilt that can be used to deploy resistance to Goss’s wilt into commercial maize hybrids. Recently a genome-wide association study and a linkage mapping study identified several small effect QTL associated with resistance to Goss’s wilt. The objective of the study was to further our understanding of the genetic basis of resistance to Goss's wilt of maize by using a genome-wide association analysis. A diverse panel of 555 maize inbred lines and three bi-parental families were used in this study.