Breeding by Design is a concept that aims to control all allelic variation for all genes of agronomic importance. This concept can be achieved through a combination of precise genetic mapping, high-resolution chromosome haplotyping and extensive phenotyping. Thanks to marker technology, software tools and the know-how available today, this goal can now be achieved. Depending on the crop-specifi...

ABSTRACT A random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) marker directly linked (0.0 cM) with a resistance gene was identified in a snap bean recombinant inbred population (Moncayo x Primo) consisting of 94 F(5:7) recombinant inbred lines that had uniform segregation for disease reaction to Beet curly top virus (BCTV) across three field locations. Resistance was conditioned by a single dominant allel...

Rapid and accurate genome-wide marker detection is essential to the marker-assisted breeding and functional genomics studies. In this work, we developed an integrated software, AgroMarker Finder (AMF: http://erp.novelbio.com/AMF), for providing graphical user interface (GUI) to facilitate the recently developed restriction-site associated DNA (RAD) sequencing data analysis in rice. By applicati...

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), a perennial and outcrossing species, is a widely planted forage legume for hay, pasture and silage throughout the world. Currently, alfalfa breeding relies on recurrent phenotypic selection, but alternatives incorporating molecular marker assisted breeding could enhance genetic gain per unit time and per unit cost, and accelerate alfalfa improvement. Many major qua...

Large portions of the Great Plains and the western U.S. are regularly plagued by drought and diminishing water resources for irrigation. Alfalfa cultivars adapted to these regions, and that can remain productive under reduced irrigation allotments, are clearly needed. This study evaluated the potential of using DNA marker assisted selection (MAS) technology to improve alfalfa forage productivit...

Myostatin or growth and differentiation factor 8 (GDF8), has been known as the factor causing double muscling phenotypes in which a series of mutations make the myostatin protein inactive, hence disabling it to regulate the deposition of muscle fibre. This phenotype happens with high frequency in a breed of sheep known as the Texel. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) studies show that a portion of t...