Plant, Animal & Microbe Genomes X Conference Plant, Animal & Microbe Genomes X ConferenceJanuary 12-16, 2002
Town & Country Convention Center
San Diego, CA
Workshop: Comparative Genomics
Tef (Eragrostis tef) is the major cereal crop in Ethiopia and is grown on about 2 million ha per year. Tef is relatively free from the damages caused by the pests and pathogens and the nutritional quality of tef grain is superior to most cereal grains. Some of the major problems facing the tef improvement are its low yield potential, losses due to crop lodging, and limited research support. Comparative genomic analysis will be essential for the future improvement of crops with large and complex genomes and of those crops that receive limited research funding. As a first step towards the improvement of tef, we are constructing a comparative genetic map using RFLP anchor probes from barley, maize, millets, rice, oat and wheat. We are constructing tef EST libraries which will be used as a source of markers for the development of genetic map and for in silico prediction of their orthologous location in other grasses. We are conducting a QTL study to identify loci involved in determining the key agronomic traits, such as, yield and lodging components. In addition, candidate genes known to be involved in lignin biosynthesis, dwarfing and other plant morphological traits of grasses are being analyzed on the tef mapping population in order to find their association with lodging and yield ability. Our report here includes integrated information obtained from various fronts of tef genomics and prospects for future research.