Marker-Assisted Selection for Improvement of Some Major Crops in India

Marker-assisted selection (MAS) has been initiated in India in several major crops for targeted traits that include resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses and some quality traits.  At our own laboratory in Meerut, we identified in bread wheat markers associated with quality traits like grain protein content, pre-harvest sprouting tolerance and grain weight. Some of these markers and the markers associated with the grain protein content gene Gpc-B1 discovered in California were used for MAS leading to the development of improved wheat genotypes. Under another wheat project, MAS was used for introgression of genes for resistance against a number of diseases. In rice, cultivars resistant to bacterial blight (Improved PB-1 & Improved Samba Mahsuri) and submergence tolerance (Swarna-Sub1), in maize a hybrid (Vivek QPM9) improved for lysine and threonine content and in pearl millet hybrid resistant to downy mildew (HHB- 67-2) have already been released. Rice genotypes resistant to blast disease, gall midge (GM), brown plant hopper (BPH) and improved cooking quality are also being developed. In wheat and rice, markers are being developed for iron/zinc biofortification. Chickpea cultivars that are resistant to Fusarium Wilt and Ascochyta Blight, and ‘double zero’ canola type mustards are also being developed. MAS programs are also underway in some other crops.