So far in this course we have dealt entirely with the evolution of characters that are controlled by simple Mendelian inheritance at a single locus. There are notes on the course website about gametic disequilibrium and how allele frequencies change at two loci simultaneously, but we didn’t discuss them. In every example we’ve considered we’ve imagined that we could understand something about evolution by examining the evolution of a single gene. That’s the domain of classical population genetics. For the next few weeks we’re going to be exploring a field that’s actually older than classical population genetics, although the approach we’ll be taking to it involves the use of population genetic machinery. If you know a little about the history of evolutionary biology, you may know that after the rediscovery of Mendel’s work in 1900 there was a heated debate between the “biometricians” (e.g., Galton and Pearson) and the “Mendelians” (e.g., de Vries, Correns, Bateson, and Morgan). Biometricians asserted that the really important variation in evolution didn’t follow Mendelian rules. Height, weight, skin color, and similar traits seemed to

Human biochemical genetics

DNA markers have enormous potential to improve the efficiency and precision of conventional plant breeding via marker-assisted selection (MAS). The large number of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) mapping studies for diverse crops species have provided an abundance of DNA marker–trait associations. In this review, we present an overview of the advantages of MAS and its most widely used applications in plant breeding, providing examples from cereal crops. We also consider reasons why MAS has had only a small impact on plant breeding so far and suggest ways in which the potential of MAS can be realized. Finally, we discuss reasons why the greater adoption of MAS in the future is inevitable, although the extent of its use will depend on available resources, especially for orphan crops, and may be delayed in less-developed countries. Achieving a substantial impact on crop improvement by MAS represents the great challenge for agricultural scientists in the next few decades.

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Marker-assisted selection: an approach for precision plant breeding in the twenty-first century

Recognizing the enormous potential of DNA markers in plant breeding, many agricultural research centers and plant breeding institutes have adopted the capacity for marker development and marker-assisted selection (MAS). However, due to rapid developments in marker technology, statistical methodology for identifying quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and the jargon used by molecular biologists, the utility of DNA markers in plant breeding may not be clearly understood by non-molecular biologists. This review provides an introduction to DNA markers and the concept of polymorphism, linkage analysis and map construction, the principles of QTL analysis and how markers may be applied in breeding programs using MAS. This review has been specifically written for readers who have only a basic knowledge of molecular biology and/or plant genetics. Its format is therefore ideal for conventional plant breeders, physiologists, pathologists, other plant scientists and students.

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An introduction to markers, quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping and marker-assisted selection for crop improvement: The basic concepts

Breeding for micronutrient density in edible portions of staple food crops: conventional approaches

Agricultural Experimentation: Design and Analysis

Maize (Zea mays L.) plays a very important role in human and animal nutrition in a number of developed and developing countries, worldwide. Breeding for improved protein quality in maize began in the mid-1960s with the discovery of mutants, such as opaque-2, that produce enhanced levels of lysine and tryptophan, the two amino acids deficient in maize endosperm proteins. However, adverse pleiotropic effects imposed severe constraints on successful exploitation of these mutants. Interdisciplinary and concerted research efforts led to amelioration of the negative features of the opaque phenotype, and the rebirth of Quality Protein Maize' (QPM). QPM holds superior nutritional and biological value and is essentially interchangeable with normal maize in cultivation and kernel phenotype. This paper deals with the salient sequence of events associated with the development of QPM, the present understanding of genetic, biochemical and molecular bases of QPM, and the recent technological developments that could potentially enhance the efficiency of QPM breeding and the reach of QPM cultivars.

Quality protein maize

Heterotic groups and patterns are of fundamental importance in hybrid breeding of maize (Zea mays L.). The major goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between heterosis and genetic distance determined with simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. The objectives of our research were to (i) compare the genetic diversity within and between seven tropical maize populations, (ii) test alternative hypotheses on the relationship between panmictic midparent heterosis (PMPH) and genetic distances determined with SSR markers, and (iii) evaluate the use of SSR markers for grouping of germplasm and establishing heterotic patterns in hybrid breeding of tropical maize. Published data of a diallel of seven tropical maize populations evaluated for agronomic traits in seven environments were reanalyzed to calculate PMPH in population hybrids. In addition, 48 individuals from each population were sampled and assayed with 85 SSR markers covering the entire maize genome. A total of 532 alleles in the 7 × 48 genotypes assayed were detected. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed that 89.8% of the variation was found within populations and only 10.2% between populations. The correlation between PMPH and the squared modified Roger's distance (MRD) based on SSR markers was significantly positive (P < 0.05) only for grain yield (r = 0.63). With SSR analyses, it was possible to assign Population 29 (Pop29) to the established Heterotic Group A and propose new heterotic groups (Pop25, Pop43). We conclude that SSR markers provide a powerful tool for grouping of germplasm and are a valuable complementation to field trials for identifying groups with satisfactory heterotic response.

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Genetic distance based on simple sequence Repeats and Heterosis in Tropical Maize Populations

Heterotic groups and patterns are of fundamental importance in hybrid breeding. The objectives of our research were to: (1) investigate the relationship of simple sequence repeats (SSR) based genetic distances between populations and panmictic midparent heterosis (PMPH) in a broad range of CIMMYT maize germplasm, (2) evaluate the usefulness of SSR markers for defining heterotic groups and patterns in subtropical germplasm, and (3) examine applications of SSR markers for broadening heterotic groups by systematic introgression of other germplasm. Published data of two diallels and one factorial evaluated for grain yield were re-analyzed to calculate the PMPH in population hybrids. Additionally, 20 pools and populations widely used in CIMMYT's breeding program were assayed with 83 SSR markers covering the entire maize genome. Correlations of squared modified Roger's distance (MRD2) and PMPH were mostly positive and significant, but adaption problems caused deviations in some cases. For intermediate- and early-maturity subtropical germplasm, two heterotic groups could be suggested consisting of a flint and dent composite. We concluded that the relationships between the populations obtained by SSR analyses are in excellent agreement with pedigree information. SSR markers are a valuable complementation to field trials for identifying heterotic groups and can be used to introgress exotic germplasm systematically.

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Use of SSRs for establishing heterotic groups in subtropical maize

The paper describes the sequence of breeding stages that led to the development of acceptable quality protein maize (QPM) germplasm at the Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maiz y Trigo (CIMM...

/pdf/the-quality-protein-maize-story-1f9qgo3gge.pdf

S. K. Vasal

Papers

Quality protein maize

Genetic distance based on simple sequence Repeats and Heterosis in Tropical Maize Populations

Use of SSRs for establishing heterotic groups in subtropical maize

The Quality Protein Maize Story

High Quality Protein Corn