Epsilon Open Archive

Abstract

Plant breeders constantly need to adapt their research to the ever-changing market needs and agricultural practices. To achieve these goals, they need to competently combine different genetically-governed characters in a genotype. This is a complex, time-consuming and labour intensive task. It is undeniable that the advent of molecular markers and their application inhold tremendous possibilities to increase plant breeding efficiency. However, the requirements specific to practical plant breeding represent also a limitation to their full application. To be attractive it is necessary that molecular technology is able to promptly handle sufficiently large amounts of material at reduced costs. Recent developments in other molecular genetic areas, providing solutions for improved assay-throughputs, are today available to crop development programmes. However, because of the still important investments involved in investigating whole genomes, this trend has been slow and has primarily benefited major crops. This thesis is part of the Øresund Food Network collaboration “Efficient use of DNA markers for improved development of healthy plants” and its general aim is to investigate the automation of molecular markers in practical plant breeding programmes. For this purpose, the different uses of molecular markers are presented and their availability discussed. The specific needs of molecular applications in practical plant breeding are investigated and the specific approach of a plant breeding company to automate them, in order to increase their availability to breeding programmes, is detailed. The uses of the developed fully-automated system are exemplified using specific marker-resistance gene associations for important diseases in spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L. ssp. vulgare).