What is the Technology
Marker assisted breeding is where a trait of interest is selected based on a marker, which is a sequence of DNA, linked to a trait of interest e.g. productivity, disease resistance, abiotic stress tolerance, and quality
How does it work
When a breeder makes a cross between two parents, there are nearly 4,000 different genetic individuals.
By screening these early, at the seedling stage, a selection can be made of those crosses that contain the known sequence of base units in the DNA that have been identified linked to the desirable trait(s). Crosses not containing the trait can be discarded early on. This has a huge saving in terms of time and resource for the breeder. It also speeds up the time for new varieties to reach the market.
What are the benefits to the Farmer / Agronomist
Because of enhanced selection of a new varieties genetic profile, it is possible to predict its characteristics well in advance.
Speed of new varieties to market will also happen.
Who are the key researchers in this area?
RAGT
KWS
Further Reading
https://www.kws.com/corp/en/innovation/breeding-methods/marker-technology-and-genomic-selection/
https://www.intechopen.com/books/next-generation-plant-breeding/marker-assisted-breeding-in-wheat
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