Summary
Using molecular marker technology plant breeders are able to select individual plants based on their marker pattern( genotype) as opposed to their phenotype. This process is called marker assisted breeding ( MAB) or marker assisted selection ( MAS). The most important requirement for MAB is to identify a convenient marker(s) closely linked to a gene(s) of interest. In this lesson we covered the desirable qualities of markers and the different molecular marker types and their suitability for application. Considering that MAB studies are DNA studies, the structure and organization of DNA and DNA extraction protocols, were covered as well as the PCR technology used to replicate DNA of interest and the primer design that goes with the PCR process. The next section will discuss the selection of germplasm and genetic diversity
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