Association mapping for hop cone chemistry and morphology identifies natural beneficial allele stacks.

Key Points

• The aim is to identify beneficial allele stacks associated with hop cone chemistry and morphology to enhance germplasm.
• Used association mapping to detect allele stacks in hop germplasm.
• Analyzed candidate genes linked to advantageous traits.
• Applied markers for potential use in genomic prediction pipeline.
• Identified allele stacks leading to improvement in hop traits.
• Demonstrated validity of methods through meaningful associations with candidate genes.
• Showed the potential of utilizing identified markers for improving hop germplasm.