Molecular Markers and Their Applications in Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS) in Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

As one of the essential cereal crops, wheat provides 20% of the calories and proteins consumed by humans. Due to population expansion, dietary shift and climate change, it is challenging for wheat breeders to develop new varieties for meeting wheat production requirements. Marker-assisted selection (MAS) has distinct advantages over conventional selection in plant breeding, such as being time-saving, cost-effective and goal-oriented. This review makes attempts to give a description of different molecular markers: sequence tagged site (STS), simple sequence repeat (SSR), genotyping by sequencing (GBS), single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays, exome capture, Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR (KASP), cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS), semi-thermal asymmetric reverse PCR (STARP) and genotyping by target sequencing (GBTS). We also summarize some quantitative trait loci (QTL)/genes as well as their linked markers, which are potentially useful in MAS. This paper provides updated information on some markers linked to critical traits and their potential applications in wheat breeding programs.

Automated summary

Wheat, an essential cereal crop, provides a significant amount of calories and proteins consumed by humans. Wheat breeders face challenges in developing new varieties to meet production requirements. Marker-assisted selection (MAS) has advantages in terms of time-saving, cost-effectiveness, and goal orientation. This review provides updated information on different molecular markers and their potential applications in wheat breeding programs.