MOVING FROM QTL EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS TO THE UTILIZATION OF QTL IN BREEDING PROGRAMS

Results from quantitative trait loci studies cannot be readily impleme nted into breeding schemes through marker assisted selection because o f uncertainty about whether the quantitative trait loci identified are real and whether the identified quantitative trait loci are segregati ng in the breeding population. The present paper outlines and discusse s strategies to reduce uncertainty in the results from quantitative tr ait loci studies. One strategy to confirm results from quantitative tr ait loci studies is to combine P-values from many quantitative trait l oci experiments, while another is to establish a confirmation study. T he power of a confirmation study must be high to ensure that the postu lated quantitative trait loci can be verified. In the calculation of t he experimental power, there are many issues that have to be addressed : size of the quantitative trait loci to be detected, significance lev el required, experimental design and expected heterozygosity for the d esign. To ensure marker assisted selection can be quickly implemented once quantitative trait loci are confirmed, DNA samples should be reta ined from daughters, and the sires and dams of elite sires.