Part 4: Plant Breeding Techniques
In Part 4, you'll learn about techniques to breed for traits in plants. This includes molecular principles and flowering structures.
Backcross Breeding 1 - Basic Gene Inheritance
This lesson reviews the basics of gene inheritance. It compares plants that are homozygous, heterozygous, and hemizygous for an allele and how gene expression is affected by the dominance of an allele. It also explains how to use a Punnett square to predict genotypic and phenotypic ratios of offspring.
Backcross Breeding 2 - The Backcrossing Process
This lesson discusses the final stage of developing genetically engineered crops. The need for backcrossing, and the steps of this breeding method are described. Yield lag, yield drag, and gene stacking are also discussed.
Advanced Backcross Breeding
This lesson is a detailed explanation of the backcross breeding process. Variations based on whether backcrossing is performed with dominant, recessive, or multiple traits are discussed. Calculations associated with backcross breeding are explained.
Corn Breeding: Lessons From the Past
This is the first in a series of lessons specifically designed to instruct individuals without any formal training in genetics or statistics about the science of corn breeding. Individuals with formal training in genetics or statistics but without any training in plant breeding also may benefit from these lessons.
Corn Breeding: Introduction to Concepts in Quantitative Genetics
This is the second in a series of lessons specifically designed to instruct individuals without any formal training in genetics or statistics about the science of corn breeding. Individuals with formal training in genetics or statistics but without any training in plant breeding also may benefit from taking these lessons.
Corn Breeding: Types of Cultivars
This is the third in a series of lessons specifically designed to instruct individuals without any formal training in genetics or statistics about the science of corn breeding. Individuals with formal training in genetics or statistics but without any training in plant breeding also may benefit from taking these lessons.
Corn Flowers and Hybrid Seeds
An explanation of how hybrid corn is grown, and how the monoecious nature of corn is used to manipulate the cross-breeding.
Flowering Principles
What is a "flower" and what are its structures? How do the male and female parts operate to produce seed? Monoecious versus dioecious; perfect versus imperfect.
Native Plant Breeding: Bringing the Beauty of Nature Home
Looks at how native plant breeders create plants with new combinations of desired traits; the relationship between plants, flowers and seeds; male and female structures flowers; flower types based on structures observed in the flower; and how flower structures impact plant crossbreeding.
Breeding for Grain Quality Traits: The challenges of measuring phenotypes and identifying genotypes.
An introduction to methods and difficulties of plant breeding. Comparisons are made between corn, proso millet, wheat, and sorghum.
Breeding for Resistance in California Strawberry to Verticillium Dahliae
This e-library lesson will focus on breeding resistant strawberries to the fungus Verticillium dahliae, common name Verticillium wilt. This is a serious fungal disease that can result in a loss of 50% or more of a strawberry harvest when grown in infested soil . This lesson is written for undergraduate and graduate students who are currently studying plant pathology or the management of crop disease. The main goal is to provide an example of how a cultivar can be made more resistant to a plant pathogen with the use of plant breeding methods.
Application of Molecular Marker Technology to QA/QC in Plant Breeding
Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA QC) are key for developing effective plant breeding programs which make the most impact for the resources available. Molecular markers can greatly enhance Quality Assurance and Quality Control in plant breeding. It is therefore important to know what is meant by QA QC, how markers are used in QA and QC, how to assess the resultant data, and how to make decisions on selecting lines to move forward in the breeding-to-market process. This lesson is written for plant breeders who are interested in or beginning to use molecular marker technology in quality assurance and quality control in plant breeding.
High Throughput Phenotyping in Plant Breeding
An introduction to plant breeding and high throughput phenotyping. This lesson outlines the steps and goals of the plant breeding process and identifies areas that can be improved with high throughput phenotyping methods. It also covers the steps necessary to collect and process UAV-based high throughput phenotyping data to make reliable plant breeding decisions.
Marker-Assisted Selection
A method of selecting desirable individuals in a breeding scheme based on DNA molecular marker patterns instead of, or in addition to, their trait values. A tool that can help plant breeders select more efficiently for desirable crop traits.
MB1 - Molecular Breeding: the use of molecular markers for efficient crop improvement
Classical plant breeding is the intentional interbreeding and selection of plant varieties with the goal of producing new varieties with improved properties (e.g. higher yield, bigger fruit, disease resistance, etc.). Marker-Assisted Breeding (MAB) combines classical plant breeding with the tools and discoveries of molecular biology and genetics, most specifically the use of molecular markers.
MB2 - Selection of Markers for Molecular Breeding
Molecular Markers (variants of DNA sequences) are identifiers (or ‘tags’) of certain aspects of a phenotype and /or genotype which could be exploited by plant breeders for incorporating desirable traits into their advancing germplasm. It is important therefore that we understand the proper usage of markers, be able to select the proper marker types, have an understanding of DNA extraction protocols and the general organization of the crop genome of interest. This lesson is written for plant breeders who are interested in or beginning to use molecular markers.
MB3 Genetic Diversity & Germplasm Selection
A main goal of plant breeders is to develop lines improved for particular traits, for example larger fruits, quick maturing, etc. Genetic diversity is the basis for all crop improvement; therefore it is crucial to be able to assess and understand the diversity available for a crop before developing a breeding strategy. Using molecular analysis techniques it has been demonstrated that not all genotypes are reflected in a phenotype (important alleles may be masked by other alleles) and therefore molecular level analysis is a better tool to assess and measure genetic diversity. The diversity available in genebanks as well as wild relatives can be an important resource in increasing crop diversity. This eLesson contains three parts: genetic diversity, selecting for desired characteristics and effects on biodiversity, and preserving and improving genetic diversity.
MB4 Phenotyping in MAB
Aspects related to Marker-Assisted Breeding