Implementation of marker-assisted selection for lodging resistance in pea breeding

Abstract

Pea populations derived from ten crosses were scored by coupling phase linked sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) markers A001 and A002, and repulsion phase linked SCAR marker A004 for lodging resistance during the F2 generation. The objective of this project was to test the efficiency of implementation of these three SCAR markers in marker-assisted selection (MAS) for lodging resistance in pea breeding. Chi-square tests showed that A001 and A004 followed a two independent gene segregation model in all of the eight populations that segregated for these two markers. In the F3 field trial, the differences between mean lodging score of A001 (DNA band present) and a001 (DNA band absent) classes varied from -0.5 to -0.9 with an average of -0.6, based on a 1 to 9 lodging scale, across the eight populations surveyed. The differences between mean lodging score of a004 (DNA band absent) and A004 (DNA band present) classes varied from -0.4 to -1.1 with an average of -0.7, across the eight populations surveyed. In comparison, when the combination of two markers (A001; a004 vs. a001; A004) was used, lodging score differences varied from -0.7 to -1.5, with an average of -1.0 across the eight populations. T-test results showed that significant differences (P