Exploiting genome synteny in breeding for Protein Quality and Waxiness in maize and sorghum
Abstract
178 words
Maize and sorghum are important staple cereals in sub-Saharan
Africa. Nonetheless, their utility and remunerability is
compromised by a low available lysine content and digestiblitiy
of both protein and starch in the endosperm. Over the decades,
progress has been made in enhancing the lysine content of maize
and sorghum by introgression of the opaque2 gene into elite
materials. Also, feeding trials have indicated more gain from
utilising materials introgressed with the waxy gene. Pleiotropic
effects are common place in breeding for protein quality and
waxiness and molecular markers including SSRs have been
used in marker assisted breeding for both traits complimented
by biochemical analyses and visual assessment. Recent genetic
studies have implicated the waxy locus to be involved in
modification in quality protein maize (QPM). In this study, we
intend to develop functional genetic markers based on expressed
genes involved in the starch biosynthetic pathway. The main
objective will be to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms in
the expressed regions of interest and explore their potential for
use as markers and determine their transferability between the
two cereal species.
Subjects
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