Candidate pathway association and genome-wide association approaches reveal alternative genetic architectures of carotenoid content in cultivated sunflower ( Helianthus annuus ).

While traditional LMM approaches suggested a single unknown transcription factor associated with carotenoid content variation in sunflower petals, BSLMM proposed several QTLs with interpretable biological relevance to this trait. In addition, the CPA allowed for the dissection of the regulatory vs. biosynthetic genetic architectures underlying this metabolic trait.