from: Keygene Genetics Newsletter VI

Breeding by Design™ is a concept which aims to control all allelic variation for all genes of agronomical importance. This concept can be achieved through a combination of precise genetic mapping, high-resolution chromosome haplotyping and extensive phenotyping. By using AFLP® technology, appropriate software tools and our know-how available today, this goal can be achieved now.

The principle of Breeding by Design. Subsequent selfings (F2) and BackCross (BC) selections using markers lead to the desired superior elite line genotype. Three chromosomes, A, B and C, of five parental lines, 1-5 are shown side by side. Specific recombination points are selected on chromosomes A and B whereas chromosome C is selected from parental line 1. Dotted lines indicate marker positions used to select for the desired recombinants. At the bottom the desired genome composition of the ideal line, hypothetical resistance (“R”) and quality traits are mentioned.

Eventually the results enable the design of superior elite inbred lines containing the most optimal combination of gene alleles at these important agronomic loci using special designer software programs.

These superior lines are then generated by crosses followed by marker assisted selection. Depending on the crop specific generation time, controlled marker assisted selection strategies can now lead to the production of superior varieties within five to ten years. We now offer partnership programs on a crop specific basis which enable you to pursue the goals of Breeding by Design.

Our ideas on the concept of Breeding by Design and how to achieve this goal has been published as an opinion paper in the July 2003 issue of Trends in Plant Sciences (TIPS).