Analyses of diverse low alkaloid tobacco germplasm identify naturally occurring nucleotide variability contributing to reduced leaf nicotine accumulation.

Unlabelled: Recent suggestions for mandated lowering of nicotine content in cigarettes have prompted tobacco breeders to search for germplasm with allelic variability contributing to low alkaloid accumulation. In this research, we phenotyped a series of 81 selected diverse tobacco introductions (TIs) to identify a sub-group with authentic low alkaloid phenotypes. We also genotyped these materials for sequences associated with the and loci previously reported to influence tobacco alkaloid biosynthesis. Only five low alkaloid TIs possessed previously described deletions of Ethylene Response Factor () genes at the locus that contribute to lower alkaloid accumulation. Eleven TIs possessed an apparent deletion of , a gene recently reported to underlie the effect at the locus. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping was performed using populations derived from three selected low alkaloid TIs to possibly identify new genomic regions affecting alkaloid accumulation. A major QTL was identified on linkage group 7 in all three populations that aligned with the locus. A newly discovered 5 bp deletion in the gene on linkage group 5 was found to likely partially underlie the ultra-low alkaloid phenotype of TI 313. This new information is useful for tobacco breeders attempting to assemble novel genetic combinations with the potential for meeting future levels of tolerance for nicotine concentration in cigarette tobacco.

Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-021-01274-5.