Preprint: multi-environment GWAS maps genetic variation in photosynthetic light use efficiency in Arabidopsis

A preprint posted to bioRxiv on 7 August 2026 reports a multi-environment genome-wide association study (GWAS) targeting photosynthetic light use efficiency in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Photosynthesis is a heavily polygenic trait that responds dynamically to environmental conditions, making it difficult to dissect genetically — particularly in crop species where high-throughput phenotyping has historically been limited.

The authors exploit recent advances in plant phenomics to obtain detailed photosynthesis measurements across multiple environments, then apply GWAS to map natural genetic variation contributing to differences in light use efficiency. Using Arabidopsis as a genetically tractable model species allows mechanistic follow-up that would be impractical in crops directly.

The study fits within a growing body of work aimed at understanding the quantitative genetic architecture of photosynthesis as a prerequisite for exploiting that variation in conventional plant breeding or marker-assisted selection. The highly polygenic and genotype-by-environment-interactive nature of photosynthesis traits presents ongoing statistical challenges that the multi-environment design is intended to address. As a preprint, the work has not yet been peer-reviewed.