A team of Japanese researchers has developed a method that combines crossbreeding with next-generation sequencing to speed up the identification of genes that cause agronomically important traits in mutant crop lines.
The researchers described the method, called MutMap, in a study published in Nature Biotechnology last month. They also outlined their use of the method to rapidly identify the locations of genes associated with desirable traits in mutants of an elite rice cultivar.
MutMap combines a strategy of cross-breeding a mutant plant with a desirable trait back to its wild-type parent with whole-genome sequencing of a sample of bulked DNA from several of the resulting crossbreeds. The method's simplicity and efficiency relative to previous methods could help accelerate the improvement of rice and other crops through genomic marker-assisted selective breeding, the group reported.
Ryohei Terauchi, the team's leader, told In Sequence that marker-assisted selection has become more and more widespread in crop breeding, but it remains challenging to locate markers for agronomically important traits like yield, flowering time, plant height, and biomass.