marker-assisted selection in wheat - ictsd

12Marker-assisted selection – Current status and future perspectives in crops, livestock, forestry and fishhave their limitations, they have shownover time that they can be highly successful.Application of MAS will not occur in avacuum and the potential benefits (genetic,economic, etc.) of using MAS need to becompared with those achieved or expectedfrom any existing conventional breedingprogrammes.In the different agricultural sectors, thisquestion has received much attention fromresearchers. There seems to be general consensusthat the relative success of MAScompared with conventional breeding maydepend on the kind of trait (or traits) to begenetically improved. If the trait is difficultto record or is not routinely recordedin conventional programmes, MAS willoffer more advantages than if it is routinelyrecorded. Similarly, if the trait is sex-limitedor can only be measured late in life thenMAS is favoured, as marker informationcan be used in both sexes and at any age.In considering the merits of MAS versusconventional breeding, it is also importantto keep in mind that the existence ofa strong breeding programme is a prerequisitefor the application of advancedmolecular technologies such as MAS. Insituations where the infrastructure andcapacity are insufficient to support a successfulconventional breeding programme,MAS will not provide a shortcut to geneticimprovement.MAS versus other biotechnologies forgenetic improvementThe relative costs and benefits of applyingMAS should be compared not onlywith conventional breeding but also withthe use of other new technologies that canpotentially improve agricultural populationsgenetically. These include tissue culturein crops and forest trees, reproductivetechnologies (e.g. embryo transfer or cloning)in livestock and triploidization or sexreversalin farmed fish. They also includegenetic modification, a technology that canbe applied to all sectors. Compared withgenetic modification, regulation of MAS,be it at the level of research and development,field testing, commercial release orimport/export of developed products, ismore relaxed; in addition, public acceptanceof the technology is not an issue.Intellectual property rights issuesAs discussed in Conference 6 of the FAOBiotechnology Forum (FAO, 2001), theissue of intellectual property rights (IPRs)is playing an ever greater role in foodand agriculture in developing countries.Participants in that conference, inter alia,suggested that this issue was having a generallynegative influence on the quality ofagricultural research carried out and on thenature of research collaborations betweenthe public and private sector and betweendeveloping and developed countries.It is therefore obvious that IPRs mayalso have an impact on the development andapplication of MAS in developing countries.For example, the AFLP molecular markermapping technique is patented. Molecularmarkers can be patented, although this canoften be overcome by using other markersnear the gene of interest. Individual genescan also be patented. With IPRs, however,there is nevertheless public disclosure ofthe invention or information. Non-disclosureof information, where patents are notsought but the information on markers ordetected QTL is nevertheless kept secret,can also have negative impacts, by denyingdeveloping countries access to potentiallyuseful information.More details on IPRs and MAS can befound in Chapter 20.