Articles
ROADBLOCKS AND HINDRANCES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF MOLECULAR TOOLS IN PECAN (CARYA ILLINOINENSIS): A BREEDER’S PERSPECTIVE
Article number
1070_9
Pages
83 – 87
Language
English
Abstract
The development of molecular markers and other molecular tools have been the focus of a large amount of research effort and resources over the past two decades.
Many of these projects promised to revolutionize the field of plant breeding as research was brought indoors from dusty hot fields into cool sterile laboratories.
While important steps have been taken, and much has been learned about the genomic composition of some of our most important model crop plants, little has changed in the basic breeding methodology of many crops.
Pecan breeders are using nearly the same methods and procedures used by Louis Romberg when he began breeding pecans in the 1930s.
Given the difficulties encountered in pecan breeding, such as the long generation times, large plant size, and a lengthy juvenile period, it would seem that pecan breeders would eagerly adapt any new technology that would make their job easier or more productive.
The fact that molecular markers have so far failed to make an impact on pecan breeding suggests not that pecan breeders are opposed to the technology, nor that molecular markers are useless tools, but rather that important and sometimes little acknowledged roadblocks still exist in the use of this technology to meet the real world problems encountered by the breeder.
Many of these projects promised to revolutionize the field of plant breeding as research was brought indoors from dusty hot fields into cool sterile laboratories.
While important steps have been taken, and much has been learned about the genomic composition of some of our most important model crop plants, little has changed in the basic breeding methodology of many crops.
Pecan breeders are using nearly the same methods and procedures used by Louis Romberg when he began breeding pecans in the 1930s.
Given the difficulties encountered in pecan breeding, such as the long generation times, large plant size, and a lengthy juvenile period, it would seem that pecan breeders would eagerly adapt any new technology that would make their job easier or more productive.
The fact that molecular markers have so far failed to make an impact on pecan breeding suggests not that pecan breeders are opposed to the technology, nor that molecular markers are useless tools, but rather that important and sometimes little acknowledged roadblocks still exist in the use of this technology to meet the real world problems encountered by the breeder.
Authors
P.J. Conner
Keywords
genetics, genomics, mapping, sequencing, DNA
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