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Germplasm Resources and Molecular Breeding

Date:2011-09-06

Germplasm resources and key functional genes are very important for germplasm innovation and bio-industry development. Developed countries took the lead in collection, evaluation and utilization of fruit germplasm with the aid of molecular markers. The application of molecular marker assisted (MAS) breeding technique has changed the traditional breeding approach from considering phenotype only to both phenotype and genotype, making the selection of cross parents easier and prediction of traits in the progenies after hybridization more accurate, which greatly improves the efficiency of breeding.
  
The research emphasis is on exploring the methods and techniques of molecular biology for use in breeding. The research areas are mainly focused on: 1) evaluation of genetic diversity and reconstruction of phylogeny in fruit trees; 2) assessment of fruit germplasm in southern China; 3) exploration of elite genes associated with important economic traits; 4) development of MAS breeding techniques, especially those related to selection of cross parents and early selection of progeny; 5) establishment and application of genetic transformation systems in gene functional research, to provide the academic basis for genetic improvement.

The research projects were supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Earmarked Fund for Modern Agro-industry Technology Research System, Special Fund for Agroscientific Research in the Public Interest, subproject of the National Key Technology Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, Outstanding Youth Fund for Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China, the European Union project. A series of papers were published in Biotechnology Advances, BMC Genomics, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, BMC Plant Biology, BMC Evolutionary Biology, Tree Genetics & Genomes, Conservation Genetics, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Planta, Plant Molecular Biology Reporter, etc. We have been awarded several scientific and technological achievements awards at national, state ministry and provincial level.

The main research areas include:
(1) Assessment of genetic diversity, and mining and utilization of elite genes in fruit germplasm;
(2) Molecular genetic analysis of important fruit quality and economic traits related to stress resistance in fruit trees;
(3) Establishment and application of transgenic technology systems with high efficiency in fruit trees;
(4) Breeding and application of innovative and excellent fruit cultivars.



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