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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Ithaca, New York » Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture & Health » Plant, Soil and Nutrition Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #232679
Title: Status and Prospects of Association Mapping in Plants

Author
item Buckler, Edward - Ed
item GORE, MICHAEL - CORNELL UNIVERSITY
item ZHU, CHENGSONG - KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
item YU, JIANMING - KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: The Plant Genome
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/4/2009
Publication Date: 7/1/2009
Citation: Buckler Iv, E.S., Gore, M., Zhu, C., Yu, J. 2009. Status and Prospects of Association Mapping in Plants. The Plant Genome. 1(1):5-20.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: There is tremendous interest in using association mapping to identify genes responsible for quantitative variation of complex traits with agricultural and evolutionary importance. Recent advances in genomic technology, impetus to exploit natural diversity, and development of robust statistical analysis methods make association mapping appealing and affordable to plant research programs. Association mapping identifies quantitative trait loci (QTLs) by examining the marker-trait associations that can be attributed to the strength of linkage disequilibrium between markers and functional polymorphisms across a set of diverse germplasm. General understanding of association mapping has increased significantly since its debut in plants. We have seen a more concerted effort in assembling various association-mapping populations and initiating experiments through either candidate gene or genome-wide approaches in different plant species. In this review, we describe the current status of association mapping in plants and outline opportunities and challenges in complex trait dissection and genomics-assisted crop improvement.