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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Logan, Utah » Forage and Range Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #182037
Title: GENETIC MAPPING IN TETRAPLOID ALFALFA: RESULTS AND PROSPECTS

Author
item BRUMMER, E - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
item Robins, Joseph
item ZUNIGA, B - ANIMAL SCI DEPT,MEXICO
item LUTH, D - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: International Symposium of Molecular Breeding of Forage Turf
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/1/2005
Publication Date: 9/1/2005
Citation: Brummer, E.C., Robins, J.G., Zuniga, B.A., Luth, D. 2005. Genetic mapping in tetraploid alfalfa: results and prospects. International Symposium of Molecular Breeding of Forage Turf. p. 149

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Among the difficulties of improving forages is their perennial nature, which necessarily requires long selection cycles to fully evaluate genotypes. Further, traits of particular importance -- yield and winter hardiness -- are difficult to assess on single plants, necessitating evaluation of progeny, which is both time consuming and expensive. Because of this, yield of many forages, and particularly alfalfa, has not improved substantially over the past 25 years (Riday and Brummer, 2002). Winter hardiness often has a negative correlation with autumn growth, although some evidence suggests this is not always true (Brummer et al., 2000). One way to overcome some of these limitations may be through the use of genetic markers to help select desirable genotypes. The objective of this experiment was to test the hypotheses that quantitative trait loci (QTL) for complex agronomic traits could be identified in a segragating tetraploid alfalfa population.