PAG-II Plant Genome II Conference

Town & Country Conference Center, San Diego, CA, January, 1994.


PG-II: CONSTRUCNON AND UTILIZATION OF A DNA MARKER LINKAGE MAP OF RAPESEED

CONSTRUCNON AND UTILIZATION OF A DNA MARKER LINKAGE MAP OF RAPESEED.

Yan-San Chyi, Mary Hoenecke, and Larry Sernyk, Mycogen Plant Sciences Madison Laboratories, 5649 E. Buckeye Rd., Madison, WI 53716.


A complete genetic linkage map can be used to locate important genes and to analyze individual plant genomes. This map can be applied as a tool in the selection of desired recombinants in a plant breeding program and thus speed up the breeding cycle. An RFLP restriction fragment length polymorphism) DNA marker linkage map for the rapeseed species Brassica rapa has been constructed. This map contains 360 marker loci covering the 10 chromosomes of this species with a total distance of 1876 genetic recombination units. This is one of the largest known plant RFLP maps based on nuclear DNA amounts. The B. rapa RFLP map has been used to map three genes associated with desirable quality traits. The RFLP markers closely linked to these quality genes can be used to assist in the selection of individuals which contain these genes. The B. rapa RFLP map is also being employed to genetically "fingerprint" individuals in order to determine their genomic constitution and thus allow selection of desired recombinants. Applying selection based on RFLP markers has reduced the breeding time of new varieties by 25% or more.


Return to Previous Page or Intl-PAG Homepage