This project addresses the need for a marker assisted selection and utilization program for the public soybean breeding program (northern and southern) at the University of Missouri, which focuses variety development for farmers in Missouri and nationwide.
Modern plant breeding utilizes molecular biology techniques and data to improve efficiency during the breeding process and to assure quality control.
An applied molecular breeding lab will facilitate the introgression of genes controlling desirable traits in the backcrossing program, as well as selection in forward crossing programs. Using molecular markers improves the efficiently during variety development, assures quality control of introgressed traits, and ultimately reduces the time needed from research and development to products on the market.