Plant Genome III Conference Plant Genome III Conference
Much of the genome research in crop plants is done with the expectation that the end result will be ore rapid and development of crop effective varieties with enhanced characteristics. Currently, four major avenues of genome research are being pursued with- this goal in mind: 1) characterization of genetic variation in germplasm collections 2) gene tagging 3) ap-based gene cloning 4) manipulation of quantitative traits. The first two areas are already having direct payoffs with regards to plant breeding, and map-based gene cloning has now bee. demonstrated to be a viable technique for the isolation of agriculturally important genes. The last area of research, manipulation of quantitative traits, is especially important with regards to plant breeding since most of the traits of agricultural importance fall in this category (e.g. yield, nutritional, quality and flavor). However, before QTL analysis will have a significant impact on the genetic improvement of crop plants, two things must happen: 1) Strategies must be devised in which QTL discovery and variety development occur simultaneously. Currently, these two processes take place separately. 2) QTL analysis must be used to identify and selectively introduce new and beneficial alleles into crop plants, thereby enriching the genetic base of the crop species and accelerating the rate of genetic improvement. With these goals in mind, we have developed a new strategy for the use of QTL analysis in crop plant improvement. Results from application of this new technique (called AB QTL analysis) to improve yield and quality in tomato will be presented.