marker-assisted selection in wheat - ictsd

Chapter 2 – An assessment of the use of molecular markers in developing countries 19Table 3Number of research initiatives utilizing genetic markers in the crop and forestry sectors according togeographical originRegion Crop Forestry TotalAfrica 52 17 69Asia and Pacific 98 103 201Europe (transition countries) 42 13 55Latin America and Caribbean 249 55 304Near East and North Africa 48 0 48Total 489 188 677for forest trees), the research initiativeshave reached the field test stage, while in523 cases (344 of which are related to thecrop sector), they are at earlier stages.The use of molecular markers is widespreadin Latin America and the Caribbeanwith molecular research being reportedfrom ten countries. Special emphasis ison the crop sector and includes applicationson Andean local roots and tubers,sugar cane, rice, cocoa, banana, bean andmaize (Table 3). In the Asia and Pacificregion, research activities with molecularmarkers focus on forest trees, sugar cane,rice, jute, banana, coconut and wheat. TheFAO-BioDeC database shows that, whileresearch involving molecular markers inAfrica is under way in only a few countriesincluding Ethiopia, Nigeria, SouthAfrica and Zimbabwe, the crops understudy range from traditional commoditiesto tropical fruits. Molecular research in theNear East and North Africa is reportedfor only six countries and focuses on datepalm, durum and bread wheat, rice, barleyand olive trees. In transition countries ofEastern Europe, molecular markers targetseveral crop plants including wheat, maize,pulses, vegetables and tobacco across sevencountries.Table 4 shows that most attentionfocuses on cereals, especially durumand bread wheat, barley, maize and rice.Other important cereal or pseudo-cerealspecies such as sorghum, amaranthus andTable 4Number of research initiatives utilizing geneticmarkers according to the crop of applicationCrop groupNumber of projectsCereals and pseudo-cereals 134Pulses 54Root and tubers 51Fruit trees 53Vegetables 29Industrial crops 74Fodder crops 16Aromatics 5Other or not specified 73Total 489buckwheat receive less attention and noresearch initiatives are reported for teffor millets. Among the pulses, molecularresearch projects are reported for beans(18), chickpea (5), cowpea (9) and soybean(7) and little or no attention is dedicatedto lentil, pigeon pea, faba bean and otherlocally important leguminous plants such asbambara groundnut. Among root and tubercrops, potato, sweet potato and cassavaattract the most research effort involvingmolecular markers, but some research is alsoundertaken on Andean roots and tubers.Few or no records are available for root andtuber species important for food securityin many developing countries such as yam,taro (or dasheen), cocoyam and other aroids.Research on fruit trees involving molecularmarkers includes tropical fruit trees such asbanana, cocoa, coconut and papaya, as wellas plants more typical of temperate climatessuch as strawberry and apple, while less