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Marker-Assisted Selection in Plant Breeding: From Publications to Practice

Genetic Resources and Enhancement Unit, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Apdo, Postal 6-641, 0660 Mexico, D.F., Mexico

^* Corresponding author (y.xu{at}cgiar.org).

The volume of publications on the development and to a lesser extent the application of molecular markers in plant breeding has increased dramatically during the last decade. However, most of the publications result from investments from donors with a strategic science quality or biotech advocacy mandate leading to insufficient emphasis on applied value in plant breeding. Converting promising publications into practical applications requires the resolution of many logistical and genetical constraints that are rarely addressed in journal publications. This results in a high proportion of published markers failing at one or more of the translation steps from research arena to application domain. The rate of success is likely to increase due to developments in gene-based marker development, more efficient quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping procedures, and lower cost genotyping systems. However, some fundamental issues remain to be resolved, particularly regarding complex traits, before marker-assisted selection realizes its full potential in public sector breeding programs. These include the development of high throughput precision phenotyping systems for QTL mapping, improved understanding of genotype by environment interaction and epistasis, and development of publicly available computational tools tailored to the needs of molecular breeding programs.

Abbreviations: CGIAR, Consultative Group on International Agriculture Research • CIMMYT, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center • cM, centimorgan • GCP, the Generation Challenge Program • GEI, genotype by environment interaction • ICIS, International Crop Information System • iMAS, integrated marker-assisted selection • LD, linkage disequilibrium • LIMS, Laboratory Information Management Systems • MAB, marker-assisted breeding • MABC, marker-assisted backcrossing • MAS, marker-assisted selection • MAYG, mapping-as-you-go • MTA, marker–trait association • NIL, near isogenic line • PCR, polymerase chain reaction • QEI, QTL by environment interaction • QTL, quantitative trait locus or loci • RFLP, restriction fragment length polymorphism • SNP, single nucleotide polymorphism • SSR, simple sequence repeat

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Received for publication April 7, 2007.