Research
The main focus of work in the Crop Genetics Group is to develop and apply the techniques of forward genetics to address strategic problems affecting UK arable crops. We have a long-standing reputation in marker development and applied marker technology concerning various variety identification issues and in the analysis of temporal trends in crop genetic diversity and are currently refocusing our high throughput marker capability on genome mapping using a variety of targets and approaches.
Most of our mapping work to date has been in wheat and barley, where we use segregating mapping populations to map QTL and classical Mendelian characters. We carry out genome scans using publically available SSR markers sometimes supplemented with profiling markers such as retrotransposon-based SSAPs. When a target genetic interval has been defined, we use bulked segregant analysis to target anonymous markers to the region. At this stage, the efficiency of further marker saturation hinges on moving either to a chromosome walk (in the absence of a physical map) or to the syntenic region in rice, where the wheat/barley orthologues of genes found in the appropriate segment of the rice genome sequence can be targeted to do an oriented search for ever more closely linked markers. We are currently fine-mapping in two regions of the hexaploid wheat genome using rice and barley synteny to accelerate progress.
A new area of endeavour for the group is to locate primary QTL not by mapping in biparental crosses, but by linkage disequilibrium mapping in sets of unrelated individuals (diversity panels). Because of the high levels of historic recombination captured in the diversity panel, QTL can potentially be more precisely located than in a classical F2-derived population where only one round of chromosome pairing and recombination has taken place. This activity is jointly undertaken with the Diversity Genomics goup.
Themes
Trait Dissection By Genetic And Association Mapping Comparative Genomics Applied Molecular Marker TechnologyProjects
Soil-Borne Cereal Mosaic Virus Barley association genetics Olive Track Barley Vernalization Markers FSA Olive Co-Extra Grain Legumes