ARS | Publication request: INTEGRATING MAS WITH CONVENTIONAL WHEAT BREEDING PROGRAMS

Submitted to: Eastern Wheat Workers and Southern Small Grain Workers Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: March 24, 2005
Publication Date: May 9, 2005
Citation: Brown Guedira, G.L. 2005. Integrating mas with conventional wheat breeding programs. Eastern Wheat Workers and Southern Small Grain Workers Proceedings.

Technical Abstract: The advent of DNA marker technology has the potential to improve gain from selection in plant breeding programs. In the literature, one can find very optimistic views of the impact of this technology and ones that are less enthusiastic. In reality, the current utilization and potential impact of marker technology is probably somewhere between these extremes. Plant breeders have always recognized the potential of new technology and small grains breeders in the US have recently worked together to obtain substantial funds to incorporate markers into conventional breeding programs. As we attempt to integrate the ARS genotyping centers into cultivar development programs and implement marker-assisted selection in wheat, it is appropriate to briefly review the theory behind MAS and discuss use of the molecular markers currently available in wheat. When considering how to apply MAS in a breeding program, it is important to determine when indirect selection for DNA markers is likely to be more effective than direct phenotypic selection. To evaluate the relative effectiveness of indirect selection using markers, one needs to consider (1) degree of linkage disequilibrium between the marker and trait, (2) the heritability of the target trait(s) under indirect selection, (3) the generation at which genotypic vs phenotypic selection can be applied, and (4) the costs of genotypic vs phenotypic evaluation. When it MAS is deemed most effective, collaborative projects may be submitted to the new lab in Raleigh.