Abstract
Barley geneticists are currently using association genetics to identify and fine map traits directly in elite plant breeding material. This has been made possible by the development of a highly parallel SNP assay platform that provides sufficient marker density for genome-wide scans and linkage disequilibrium-led gene identification. By leveraging the combined resources of the barley research and breeding sectors, marker-trait associations are being identified and a renewed interest has emerged in novel strategies for barley improvement. New database and visualization tools have been developed and statistical methods adapted from human genetics to account for complexities in the datasets. Exciting early results suggest that association genetics will assume a central role in establishing genotype-to-phenotype relationships.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 218-222 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Current Opinion in Plant Biology |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Apr 2009 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:RW and LR would like to acknowledge SA LINK 302/BB/D522003/1 Association Genetics of Elite UK Barleys for funding to support the development of LD-mapping in the elite UK barley genepool. GJM and J-LJ acknowledge funding from USDA-CSREES-NRI for supporting the parallel Barley CAP focusing on the US elite genepool. Special thanks go to Prof T Close and colleagues for their tireless efforts in developing the pilot and production barley OPAs.