marker-assisted selection in wheat - ictsd

Chapter 2 – An assessment of the use of molecular markers in developing countries 25in tropical areas. However, other importantplant species are still neglected by theongoing research initiatives.According to the data reported in FAO-BioDeC, only five products obtainedthrough the use of molecular markers havebeen commercially released to date in developingcountries. Even if more commercialproducts have been released but are missingfrom the database, such as those reported byToenniessen, O’Toole and DeVries (2003)or others obtained by the internationalagricultural research centres or the privatesector, the totality of practical resultsobtained from using molecular markersis disappointingly modest compared withthe declared potential of the approach.The reasons for the poor results to dateare multiple and include: the low level ofinvestments in both biotechnology researchand applied plant breeding; the limitedcoordination between biotechnology laboratoriesand plant breeding programmes;managerial and political frailties leadingto instable, unfocused or ill-addressedresearch projects; legal, infrastructural ortechnical weaknesses of the seed productionand commercialization systems; andthe lack of linkages between research andpractical application of research productsby farmers.Applied plant breeding should continueto be the foundation for the application ofmolecular markers. Focusing useful moleculartechniques on the right traits will builda strong linkage between genomics andplant breeding in order to produce new andbetter cultivars. Therefore, more than ever,there is the need for better communicationand cooperation among scientists in plantbreeding and biotechnology. Public plantbreeding and biotechnology programmesin developing countries are being seriouslyeroded through lack of funding.This loss of public support affects breedingcontinuity and objectivity and, equallyimportantly, the training of future plantbreeders and biotechnologists and the utilizationand improvement of plant geneticresources currently available. The fact thatpoor farmers rely on public and privatebreeding institutions for solving long-termchallenges should influence policy-makersto reverse the trend of reduced funding.Cooperation between industry and publicinstitutions is a promising approach tofollow. Ensuring strong applied breedingprogrammes incorporating the applicationof molecular markers will be essential inensuring the sustainable use and enhancementof plant genetic resources.AnGR management shows a similarpattern to the use of MAS in plant breedingmanagement in terms of the differences thatexist among regions in the use of molecularmarker techniques. Within several regionsthere are also differences between more andless developed countries. The reasons aresimilar to those mentioned above, namelya lack of financial, human and technicalresources. In particular, human capacitiesin animal genetics and breeding are muchsmaller than those existing in the cropsector. Consequently, the use of moleculartechniques to evaluate genetic resources, toplan conservation efforts, or to facilitate theachievement of desired breeding objectivesis limited or absent in most developingcountries.Nevertheless, country reports expresseda strong desire to develop greater capacityto carry out molecular studies of nationalAnGR, and the responses to the FAOquestionnaire also indicated a high level ofinterest in doing so. For the near future,microsatellite loci will remain the mostuseful type of genetic marker for genetic distancestudies and for genetic improvement