Crop Genomics

Dr. Stephen J. Molnar

Objective

1. To identify and develop molecular genetic markers linked to strategic traits in barley, oats and soybeans for marker assisted breeding and crop improvement.

2. To discover the genetic basis of these traits.

Rationale

Molecular markers increase the speed and precision of plant breeding. This can save several years in breeding schemes and reduce the requirement for expensive phenotypic evaluation, especially for disease and quality traits, thereby substantially reducing the cost of cultivar development.

Molecular markers, which are genetically linked to an allele at a genetic locus, can be used as a "tag" to predict the presence of that allele with high accuracy. Molecular technology is moderately expensive and can take days to perform. It is not competitive for traits where rapid visual or analytical assessment is possible. However, it is very competitive in many other situations, particularly since it is non-destructive, as little tissue is required and is not affected by the plant growth environment. Disease resistance genes can be deployed in the early stages of a breeding program without working directly with the pathogen, establishing isolation nurseries, or destructive testing of lines which may have potential for other traits. Breeding for quality or processing traits can proceed with molecular markers without the need to grow out large quantities of seed or product for processing. In addition to these and other examples, molecular markers, maps and QTL (Quantitative Trait Locus) analysis identifies and tags the genes involved in complex multi-gene traits. This permits breeders to construct specific genotypes for advancement of quantitative traits, a process that was very difficult or impossible to do without markers.

Molecular technologies and marker assisted breeding strategies developed in this study will have broader application to Canadian crop plants. Genetic knowledge of the organization of plant genomes and of the specific genes underlying strategic traits is also cross-applicable to other plants. These advances are prerequisite to novel and precise strategies for breeding improved varieties.