Molecular Markers for Forage Improvement

The most important forage species are members of the grass and cereal family (Gramineae) and the legume family (Leguminosae). They are grown either individually or in combination in mixed pastures for livestock production. Classical breeding is the main method to improve forage productivity. Still, the time to obtain commercial cultivars is long, and there are limitations associated with traits that are highly dependent on the environment or have low heritability. The development of molecular biology has facilitated the emergence of novel markers based on DNA sequence polymorphisms (molecular markers), which has led to a radical change in forage breeding. Molecular markers are widely distributed in the genome, independent of the environment, and can be identified at any tissue and developmental stage.

Solutions

As an ideal partner for forage molecular breeding, Lifeasible develops different types of molecular markers for different purposes of forage breeding, including mapping, marker-assisted selection, and characterization of genetic resources. Our molecular markers are the most suitable tools to assess the genetic diversity of forage grasses, allowing the selection of the most suitable parental lines in breeding programs, germplasm resource collection management, and variety identification.

Lifeasible offers molecular markers for forage improvement to help you select ideal genotypes, check genetic diversity and variety stability, and for variety identification. Applications of our molecular marker system in forage grasses include the following：

❖ Marker-Assisted Breeding

Most target traits in forage grasses exhibit persistent phenotypic variation and are controlled by quantitative trait loci (QTL). We offer genetic mapping to help you identify genetic variation for a trait where the number of QTL accounts for most of the variation. We provide marker locus analysis for marker-assisted selection in varietal development to help breeders identify the genetic complexity of key agronomic traits.

❖ DNA Analysis

We provide efficient DNA profiling to differentiate forage varieties and verify seed lot purity, select genetically divergent parents for trait-specific genetic mapping families and variety development, monitor the genetic stability of asexual and fusion-free species, and assess the dynamics of natural and managed pasture population structure. In addition, we can use molecular markers to assess genetic variation within and among forage varieties.

Molecular Markers Technologies for Forage Breeding

• Morphophysiological marker.
• Isozyme systems for selection and differentiation of varieties, as well as ecogenetic studies.
• Modern marker systems that allow the detection of variation directly at the DNA level and classification according to detection systems.
• Random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) marker.
• Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) marker.
• Restriction fragment length polymorphism(RFLP) marker.
• Simple sequence repeat polymorphism (SSRP) marker.
• PCR-based sequence tagging site (STS) marker.
• Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) markers used to screen candidate genes for important traits.

Our team of experts is developing innovative implementation strategies (including genetic mapping, QTL detection, marker-assisted selection, DNA profiling, etc.) to apply these effective marker systems to enhance forage breeding. If you have any special requirements about our solutions, please feel free to contact us.