ARS | Publication request: QUANTITATIVE TRAIT LOCI AND METABOLIC PATHWAYS; GENETIC BASIS OF FLAVONE SYNTHESIS IN MAIZE SILKS

Submitted to: International Botanical Congress
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: August 2, 1999
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: During the past decade, genome analysis in general, and the development and use of molecular marker techniques in particular, have become key issues regarding the genetic improvement of agriculturally important plant species. Following the construction of comprehensive marker maps for all major crop species, their practical deployment is on the verge of becoming an indispensable tool in many breeding programs around the world. In addition to marker assisted selection for qualitative and quantitative traits, PCR-based second-generation marker technologies and biological tools such as large insert libraries and mutation machines have been developed, facilitating map-based cloning of genes that are merely characterized by their phenotypes. Along with comparative genome analysis, this will dramatically promote our understanding of genome evolution and gene function, as well as provide many practical applications. This symposium will illustrate various facets of this scientific area by providing information on the state of the art of genome analysis in various major crop species, ranging from trait mapping and practical examples for marker-assisted selection to the dissection of metabolic pathways and the application of high-throughput technologies for structural and functional genomics.