Genome-Wide Association Study of Fruit Traits Using 109 Germplasm Accessions of <em>Camellia oleifera</em>

Camellia oleifera Abel, recognized as a woody oil-producing tree species, possesses considerable economic significance. To improve the breeding efficiency of C. oleifera, it is crucial to elucidate the genetic foundation underlying the mechanisms regulating fruit traits. In this study, a total of 6,252,197 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified from 109 germplasm accessions. Through genetic structure analysis, these accessions were categorized into two distinct populations. The average fixation index (Fst) was found to be 0.0153, indicating weak population differentiation. The genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) identified 157 significant loci. From these loci, 110 candidate genes were selected, which were associated with disease resistance, reproduction, development, and RNA biosynthesis. Twenty-three genes were involved in metabolic pathways, including genetic information processing protein families, metabolic protein families, terpenoids and polyketides. The identification of gene loci closely related to fruit traits not only provides genetic data for studying the molecular mechanisms of fruit traits but also offers new research avenues for molecular breeding of C. oleifera.