Association studies in eucalyptus

Abstract

Marker-assisted selection is attractive for tree breeding due to their long reproductive cycles and the time to expression of mature traits. In this chapter, we discuss different approaches used for developing markers in forest trees. Identification of useful markers for application in tree breeding is mainly based on two approaches, quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping and association genetic studies. Though QTL mapping helped to determine the complexity of the genetic architecture underlying a phenotypic trait, the mode of action of specific genes is unclear as the genomic regions identified are usually large. Association studies have high resolution compared to QTL studies. While severa..