%0 Journal Article %T Inheritance and Linkage Map Positions of Genes Conferring Agromorphological Traits in Lens culinaris Medik. %A Gopesh C. Saha %A Ashutosh Sarker %A Weidong Chen %A George J. Vandemark %A Fred J. Muehlbauer %J International Journal of Agronomy %D 2013 %I Hindawi Publishing Corporation %R 10.1155/2013/618926 %X Agromorphological traits have immense importance in breeding lentils for higher yield and stability. We studied the genetics and identified map positions of some important agro-morphological traits including days to 50% flowering, plant height, seed diameter, 100 seed weight, cotyledon color, and growth habit in Lens culinaris. Earlier developed RILs for stemphylium blight resistance (ILL-5888£¿¡Á£¿ILL-6002), contrasted for those agro-morphological traits, were used in our study. Three QTLs for days to 50% flowering were detected with additive and epistatic effects. One QTL for days to 50% flowering, QLG483 (QTL at linkage group 4 at 83£¿cM position), accounted for an estimated 20.2% of the variation, while QLG124£¿¡Á£¿QLG1352 and QLG484£¿¡Á£¿QLG138 accounted for 15.6% and 24.2% of the variation, respectively. Epistatic effects accounted for most of the variation in plant height, but the main effect of one QTL, QLG84, accounted for 15.3%. For seed diameter, three QTLs were detected, and one QTL, QLG482, accounted for 32.6% of the variation. For 100 seed weight, five QTLs were identified with significant additive effects and four with significant interaction effects. The main effect of one QTL, QLG482, also accounted for 17.5% of the variation in seed diameter. QLG which appears to affect days to 50% flowering, seed diameter, and 100 seed weight is flanked by RAPD markers, UBC 34 and UBC1. Growth habit and cotyledon color are controlled by single genes with prostrate dominant to erect and red cotyledon dominant to yellow. The QTL information presented here will assist in the selection of breeding lines for early maturity, upright growth habit, and improved seed quality. 1. Introduction Agromorphological traits have immense importance in crop breeding. Crop adaptation, field performance, market value, and demands for specific uses are major factors that drive breeding goals. Linkage maps and QTL analysis are valuable tools for plant breeders to improve breeding efficiency by tagging genes with markers and analyzing the association between markers and traits. The inheritance of quantitative traits and tagging genes such as days to 50% flowering, plant height, seed diameter, and seed weight and qualitative trait genes such as growth habit and cotyledon color in lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus subsp. culinaris) will help breeders in the selection process and understanding interrelationships among traits. Lentil is quantitative long-day plant flowering in progressively longer days [1]. Sometimes it is hard to determine days to maturity at or near the end of a crop %U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ija/2013/618926/