Molecular Marker Assisted Gene Pyramiding

Abstract

Genomics-assisted breeding is a relatively powerful and fast approach to develop high-yielding plant varieties adapted to different environmental conditions. In lentils, the availability of molecular markers associated with agronomically important traits is limiting the use of this biotechnological tool in breeding programs. However, in the recent past, several high-density linkage maps have been developed through the use of Expressed Sequenced Tag (EST)-derived Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) and Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers in the lentil. These maps have recently been employed to identify the QTL linked to the gene(s) imparting tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses in lentils. Moreover, the application of the next generation sequencing (NGS) and genotyping by sequencing (GBS) technologies have facilitated speeding up the lentil genome or transcriptome sequencing projects and large discovery of genome-wide SNP markers for genetic and association mapping. These efforts have opened up avenues for marker-assisted selection in lentils.