Molecular breeding

About: Molecular breeding is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2120 publications have been published within this topic receiving 56908 citations.

Role of Biotechnology in Rice Production

Abstract: Rice is the staple food for over half of the global population and a major calorie source. It is mainly grown in the developing world. Green revolution contributed significantly toward self-sufficiency of developing countries in rice production. Demand for rice continues to increase due to the ever increasing rice consumer base. However, the present rate of rice production has slowed down in comparison to previous decades due to various biotic and abiotic stresses. Numerous biotechnological initiatives and strategies have been undertaken aiming for an enhanced rice production. Broadly, this included tissue culture, marker-assisted breeding, and genetic engineering. The major genetic gain from biotechnology toward rice production is contributed from molecular breeding. A number of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and genes have been identified and used in varietal improvement. Genes conferring tolerance to submergence stress, salt stress, drought, blast, and blight diseases have already been deployed to rice varietal improvement. Transgenic approach is mainly used for research, though efforts are being made for its commercial use. Bottlenecks in biosafety regulations need to get resolved for making this technology impactful. In addition to the direct application in varietal improvement, biotechnological tools are used in enhancing genetic understanding of complex traits which in turn plays a crucial role in strategizing the breeding programs. Further efforts are required for handling bottlenecks of breeding, particularly in resolving the complexity of agronomically important traits such as grain yield. In the post-green revolution era, biotechnology has played a significant role in fast-track rice varietal improvement, thereby grain production; however, there is a long way to go.

Applications of Molecular Markers in Plant Breeding

Abstract: The molecular marker is a new technique developped recent years with the advancement of the molecular biology It can detect the genetic variabilities by direct manipulating DNA, the support of genetic information The paper attemped to describ the characteristics of this new method and its utilizations in plant breeding

Molecular tools for modern ornamental plant breeding and selection

Abstract: Though the development of sophisticated breeding strategies in ornamentals is lagging behind those for most of the agricultural crops, over the last years molecular methods have been quickly adopted. Apart from the use of molecular tools for the identification and verification of varieties two main areas are relevant for ornamental plant breeding. Marker assisted breeding utilises the information of markers linked to genes of interest to develop more efficient selection strategies. This is of particular importance where important traits are difficult to analyse or where simultaneous combinations of several genes are needed (e.g. resistance genes). In addition, the introgression of interesting target genes from wild species genomes may be more efficient with marker assisted selection against the genetic background of the wild donor species. The second area comprises techniques for genetic engineering of ornamental plants. The available gene pool for novel target genes is virtually unlimited in this area and reports on successful transformations are already available for Dianthus, Rosa, Petunia, Dendrathema, Pelargonium and many other ornamentals. For both areas the target traits are mainly centred around disease resistance, stress tolerances, delayed senescence, post harvest performance, novel colours and changed plant architecture. Of main importance for the future availability of genes both for marker assisted selection and for genetic engineering are the results from the ongoing genome projects in model organisms. These provide valuable information on the genetic architecture of flowering plants. The efforts undertaken in these projects also boosted technological developments (like e.g. microarrays, bioinformatic tools, transformation technologies) that will strongly influence ornamental plant breeding in the near future.