What is Marker Assisted Breeding?

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. 

Marker assisted breeding has overlap with the fields of classical plant breeding and molecular biology