Marker Assisted Selection for Crop Improvement : A Review

Throughout the past ten years, there has been a significant increase in the number of papers discussing the creation and, to a lesser extent, the use of molecular markers in plant breeding. Nevertheless, the majority of the publications are the outcome of funding provided by sponsors with a mission for biotech advocacy or strategic science quality, which puts insufficient focus on the practical value of plant breeding. The resolution of several logistical and genetical constraints—which are hardly addressed in journal publications—is necessary to turn promising findings into practical implementations. Improvements in gene-based marker creation, more effective quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping techniques, and more affordable genotyping systems are expected to raise the success rate. Crop development has undergone a revolution thanks to marker-assisted selection (MAS), which combines conventional breeding techniques with cutting-edge genetic technologies to increase the accuracy and effectiveness of choosing desired traits. This review paper offers a thorough analysis of MAS, emphasising its guiding concepts, methods, and practical uses in crop breeding initiatives. Breeders can expedite the breeding cycle by efficiently identifying and selecting for features like disease resistance, yield improvement, and abiotic stress tolerance at early embryonic stages by using molecular markers. The advantages and disadvantages of several marker types, such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and simple sequence repeats (SSRs), are covered in the paper. There are case studies that show how MAS can be successfully implemented in important crops like maize, wheat, and rice, and they also show how MAS may increase sustainability and production. Through marker-assisted selection, DNA markers have the potential to significantly increase the accuracy and efficiency of traditional plant breeding (MAS).