Satellite Symposium 5: Molecular Breeding
Description
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 hypothesis that quantitative trait loci (QTL) for complex agronomic traits could be identified in a segregating tetraploid alfalfa population.
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Genetic Mapping in Tetraploid Alfalfa: Results and Prospects
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 hypothesis that quantitative trait loci (QTL) for complex agronomic traits could be identified in a segregating tetraploid alfalfa population.
