Molecular breeding

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

Automation of DNA marker analysis for molecular breeding in crops: practical experience of a plant breeding company

Abstract: In modern plant breeding, DNA marker analyses are of increasing importance and, as the methods become more widely adopted, the capacity for high-throughput analyses at low cost is crucial for its practical use. Automation of the analysis processes is a way to meet these requirements. In order to achieve this, while keeping adequate flexibility in the analysis processes, Svalof Weibull AB (SW) has developed a fully automated polymerase chain reaction system. It has been evaluated on barley and canola lines and is capable of analysing up to 2200 samples per day at a cost of 0,24 ? per analysis for marker-assisted selection and quality control of genetically modified organisms. A detailed description of this system is given, and improvements to the throughput and applications are discussed.

Resequencing core accessions of a pedigree identifies derivation of genomic segments and key agronomic trait loci during cotton improvement

Abstract: Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) is the world's largest source of natural fibre and dominates the global textile industry Hybrid cotton varieties exhibit strong heterosis that confers high fibre yields, yet the genome-wide effects of artificial selection that have influenced Upland cotton during its breeding history are poorly understood Here, we resequenced Upland cotton genomes and constructed a variation map of an intact breeding pedigree comprising seven elite and 19 backbone parents Compared to wild accessions, the 26 pedigree accessions underwent strong artificial selection during domestication that has resulted in reduced genetic diversity but stronger linkage disequilibrium and higher extents of selective sweeps In contrast to the backbone parents, the elite parents have acquired significantly improved agronomic traits, with an especially pronounced increase in the lint percentage Notably, identify by descent (IBD) tracking revealed that the elite parents inherited abundant beneficial trait segments and loci from the backbone parents and our combined analyses led to the identification of a core genomic segment which was inherited in the elite lines from the parents Zhong 7263 and Ejing 1 and that was strongly associated with lint percentage Additionally, SNP correlation analysis of this core segment showed that a non-synonymous SNP (A-to-G) site in a gene encoding the cell wall-associated receptor-like kinase 3 (GhWAKL3) protein was highly correlated with increased lint percentage Our results substantially increase the valuable genomics resources available for future genetic and functional genomics studies of cotton and reveal insights that will facilitate yield increases in the molecular breeding of cotton

Marker-assisted selection for quantitative traits

Abstract: Although thousands of scientific articles have been published on the subject of marker-assisted selection (MAS) and quantitative trait loci (QTL), the application of MAS for QTL in plant breeding has been restricted. Among the main causes for this limited use are the low accuracy of QTL mapping and the high costs of genotyping thousands of plants with tens or hundreds of molecular markers in routine breeding programs. Recently, new large-scale genotyping technologies have resulted in a cost reduction. Nevertheless, the MAS for QTL has so far been limited to selection programs using several generations per year, where phenotypic selection cannot be performed in all generations, mainly in recurrent selection programs. Methods of MAS for QTL in breeding programs using self-pollination have been developed.

Improved nutritional quality in fruit tree species through traditional and biotechnological approaches

Abstract: Background The increasing evidences on the relation between diet and human health are driving the consumers toward the choice of foods with high amount of nutrients, considered the molecules responsible for the regulation of several metabolic and biochemical processes, and for the prevention of many chronic diseases. Among food products, fruits represent a natural source of many different nutrients and possess much importance in a balanced diet. The increase of the micro/macronutrient levels and the decrease of antinutrients amount are considered main objectives for the improvement of fruit trees nutritional value. Scope and approach This review summarizes many of the attempts made to increase the nutritional quality of fruit tree species during the last decades through the application of traditional and molecular breeding technologies, and the most recent New breeding techniques (NBTs). Key findings and conclusions New genotypes with improved nutritional quality have been obtained for different fruit tree species, either by increasing the content of well-known beneficial molecules, such as phenolic compounds, vitamins, and carotenoids, or by decreasing the levels of specific antinutrients. The development of molecular techniques and biotechnological tools allowed the identification and validation of candidate genes involved in the regulation of specific classes of nutritional compounds in fruit trees, and useful to obtain nutritionally improved products. NBTs represent alternative tools to classical breeding techniques, to regulate one or more fruit trees key nutrients in a more quick and precise manner. However, genetic engineering approaches still present public and regulatory concerns that strongly limit their exploitation.

Development of high-resolution multiple-SNP arrays for genetic analyses and molecular breeding through genotyping by target sequencing and liquid chip.

Abstract: Genotyping platforms, as critical supports for genomics, genetics, and molecular breeding, have been well implemented at national institutions/universities in developed countries and multinational seed companies that possess high-throughput, automatic, large-scale, and shared facilities. In this study, we integrated an improved genotyping by target sequencing (GBTS) system with capture-in-solution (liquid chip) technology to develop a multiple single-nucleotide polymorphism (mSNP) approach in which mSNPs can be captured from a single amplicon. From one 40K maize mSNP panel, we developed three types of markers (40K mSNPs, 251K SNPs, and 690K haplotypes), and generated multiple panels with various marker densities (1K–40K mSNPs) by sequencing at different depths. Comparative genetic diversity analysis was performed with genic versus intergenic markers and di-allelic SNPs versus non-typical SNPs. Compared with the one-amplicon-one-SNP system, mSNPs and within-mSNP haplotypes are more powerful for genetic diversity detection, linkage disequilibrium decay analysis, and genome-wide association studies. The technologies, protocols, and application scenarios developed for maize in this study will serve as a model for the development of mSNP arrays and highly efficient GBTS systems in animals, plants, and microorganisms.