ASSOCIATION OF ISOZYME MARKERS WITH QUANTITATIVE TRAIT LOCI IN RANDOMSINGLE SEED DESCENT DERIVED LINES OF LENTIL (LENS-CULINARIS MEDIK)

Polymorphism at isozyme loci was used to locate factors responsible fo r variation in quantitative traits of lentil. Eight sets of random sin gle seed descent (RSSD) derived lines were developed by advancing indi vidual F-3 plants of interspecific (L. culinaris is Medik. x L. orient alis Boiss.) hybrids to the F-6. The RSSD lines in each of the eight s ets differed for alleles at 2-8 isozyme loci. In each set, association of isozyme loci with variation in seven quantitative traits (days to flower, days to mature, plant height, biomass, seed yield, harvest ind ex, seed weight) was determined for each pairwise combination of a qua ntitative trait with a marker locus. Loci affecting variation in all s even quantitative traits were detected by their association with 14 is ozyme markers (Aat-c, Aat-m, Aar-p, Adh-1, Fk, Gal-1, Gal-2, Lap-1, La p-2, Pgd-p, Pgi, Pgm-c, Pgm-p, Skdh). The known position of 10 of the 14 isozyme loci on the lentil genetic map was used to mark the genomic regions for possible location of associated quantitative trait loci ( QTL). Detected QTL were found to be located in six of the seven linkag e groups on lentil genetic map. Regions of the genome represented by l inkage groups, 1, 5 and 7 appeared to affect a greater number of trait s than other genomic regions represented by linkage groups 2, 3 and 4. Results indicated that the mean expression of quantitative traits at segregating marker locus classes can be used to locate the genetic fac tors in lentil which influence the behavior of economically important traits.