ARS | Publication request: GENETIC MARKERS AND HORTICULTURAL GERMPLASM MANAGEMENT

Submitted to: Annual Seminar on the Exploitation of Biodiversity
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: January 25, 1997
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Horticultural germplasm comprises, together with water, air, soil, and proper horticultural management, the key components of a sustainable horticulture. Germplasm is genetic material that controls heredity, and the tissues, organs, and organisms in which the variation in that genetic material is expressed. Horticultural germplasm is most commonly managed ex situ as seeds, as vegetative organs, or as individual plants. Genetic markers facilitate all phases of horticultural germplasm management, from acquisition through enhancement. This seminar will review the kinds of horticultural germplasm and genetic markers, analytical methods for marker data, and specific applications of genetic markers to horticultural germplasm management, such as assessing a collection's "gaps" and redundancy; sampling strategies; characterizing newly acquired germplasm; maintaining "trueness to type"; monitoring genetic shifts; monitoring germplasm viability and health; developing optimal utilization strategies from genetic marker data; and exploiting associations among horticulturally meritorious traits and genetic markers. Finally, general conclusions and speculations regarding future prospects for applying genetic markers to these tasks will be presented.