Plant Genome II Conference
Town & Country Conference Center, San Diego, CA, January, 1994.
PG-II: THE QUEST FOR DESIGNER BARLEY
THE QUEST FOR DESIGNER BARLEY.
Jeremy Bezant 1, David Laurie 1, Mike Kearsey 2 and Jan Chojecki
3.
1 Cambridge Laboratory, John Innes Centre, Colney Lane, Norwich.
NR9 3BN.
2 School of Biological Sciences, University of Birmingham,
Birmingham. B15 2TT.
3 Zeneca Seeds U.K. Ltd., Jealott's Hill Research Station,
Bracknell, Berkshire. RG12 6EY.
The success of any basic research in plant breeding can only
be judged on its ability to improve breeding programmes. Modern
molecular techniques enable associations to be made between
genetic factors and molecular markers. Most agronomically and
economically important traits are quantitative (controlled by
several to many genes) and are not easily manipulated in breeding
programmes. We are studying such traits, including final plant
height, flowering time, yield components and malting guality in
several Barley crosses. Linkage maps have been constructed in
these crosses using RFLPS. These include Winter x Winter, Winter
x Spring and Spring x Spring crosses between two rowed Barleys,
and were selected to give a good picture of the variation within
and between these "Ecogenetic groups". An example of the way
effects may be compared is illustrated by the recently mapped
Denso dwarfinl, Lene. This can be mapped as a major gene with
strong pleiotropic effects on yield and flowering time in one
spring Barley cross (Laurie et. al. Plant Breeding, in press),
but can only be scored as a qualitative character in two other
crosses due to the presence of additional genes segregating in
the background. The RFLP probes have been selected from other
Barley maps as well as Wheat and Rye maps. The intention is to
enable comparisons to be made between these genomes and
ultimately between other species such as Rice and Maize. RFLPs
were chosen because they are the most suitable markers for
comparative mapping.
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