Genome-Wide Resources for Genetic Locus Discovery and Gene Functional Analysis in Wheat

Abstract

AbstractFuture wheat production faces considerable challenges, such as how to ensure on-farm yield gains across agricultural environments that are increasingly challenged by factors such as soil erosion, environmental change and rapid changes in crop pest and disease profiles. Within the context of crop improvement, the ability to identify, track and deploy specific combinations of genes tailored for improved crop performance in target environments will play an important role in ensuring future sustainable wheat production. In this chapter, a range of germplasm resources and populations are reviewed can be exploited for genetic locus discovery, characterisation and functional analysis in wheat. These include experimental populations constructed from two or more parents, association mapping panels and artificially mutated populations. Efficient integration of the knowledge gained from exploiting such resources with other emerging breeding approaches and technologies, such as high-throughput field phenotyping, multi-trait ensemble phenotypic weighting and genomic selection, will help underpin future breeding for improved crop performance, quality and resilience.