Improving rice to withstand diseases, climate-related stresses and reduced inputs will contribute to food security and socio-economic benefits worldwide. Breeding for yield and resilience can be more efficient with molecular markers. This Webinar describes how partnerships were developed between academics, public sector rice breeders and a biotechnology company to develop, utilise and promote new molecular marker tools for rice. Project partners used KASP and targeted genotyping by sequencing (GBS) for the efficient identification and selection of traits including disease resistance and yield components, across a wide range of crosses between rice with diverse origins. The Innovate UK project demonstrated proof of concept that new generation DNA markers work as well as the previous generation of molecular markers when applied in rice breeding in three countries. The markers developed in the project are being made accessible to rice breeders via a new online database of rice.
Learning objectives:
Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Crop Production
Banger University
Plant Genetics Specialist
LGC Biosearch Technologies