ABSTRACT
Recent advancement in plant molecular biology in addition to traditional breeding programs includes genome editing, nanotechnology, genomics and proteomics, next-generation sequencing, genetic engineering and marker-assisted breeding for rapid and efficient crops and new cultivar development. The innovation of molecular marker technology for identification and mapping of genes/quantitative trait loci is a novel breeding approach since it opened a new platform in the field of molecular breeding. Development of marker-assisted selection/breeding for inherited traits technique accelerated the integration of functional markers in available breeding programs and gave rise to a new discipline known as ‘molecular breeding’ or ‘smart breeding’. There is no existing marker that accomplishes all the requirements of a plant breeder and molecular biologist. Researchers today can choose systemic and easily scorable suitable markers differing in working principle, applications and methodologies based on their requirement and careful considerations. The purpose of this chapter is to convey a new emerging powerful technology for crop improvement called ‘marker-assisted breeding’, which uses various specific functional markers designed and successfully applied in cultivar identification, phylogenetic and evolutionary studies, marker-assisted backcrossing, genomic selection, biotic and abiotic stress and gene pyramiding.
