Abstract

Ceiba species are widely cultivated in tropical regions due to their high ornamental value. However, it is still unknown what the genetic background of cultivated Ceiba plants. Based on SNPs derived from double-digest restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (ddRAD-seq), we identified SNPs associated with five horticultural traits and investigated the genetic relatedness of 153 accessions of Ceiba plants cultivated in Southern China in order to comprehend the genetic basis of key horticultural traits. These accessions belonged to one of three groups, as determined by clustering analysis: Groups of C. speciosa, C. insignis, and a hybrid SNPs related to petal color, number of striations in the petals, flowering time, trunk shape, and prickles on the trunk and branches were all found by the GWAS. Near the SNPs that were strongly associated with these traits, one or two candidate genes were discovered. This study laid the groundwork for phenotype-related marker selection and molecular breeding by revealing the genetic similarity of Ceiba plants grown in Southern China and presenting the first GWAS analysis for five of their horticultural traits.