Application of multiple QTL mapping in complex plant crosses to partial resistance to late blight (Phytophthora infestans) in potato : better insight by using a design-independent method

We describe an application of a design-independent QTL mapping method to plant data. The method follows Bayesian principles and is facilitated by the use of Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation. The method was applied to data on six populations, resulting from controlled intercrosses between two wild and three cultivated genotypes of potato. Posterior statistics gave putative evidence of single QTL in each of the chromosomes 3, 4, 5, 6, and 10, while dominance was allowed in the genetic model. This analysis clearly illustrated the advantages of our approach for multiple QTL mapping in plant breeding.