Molecular marker-assisted selection breeding in silkworm, Bombyx mori

Abstract

Silkworm is the lepidopteran molecular model. Many biotechnologists have constructed large database of DNA sequences and have tried to correlate with the traditional linkage maps. Molecular marker-assisted selection (MAS) has been considered as a means to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and speed of the breeding process. Markers are the specialized breeding tools which aid selection for target genes that are not easily visible morphologically in individuals, minimize the drag around the target gene, and reduce the number of generations required to achieve the required result. In this hope, conventional breeders in all the disciplines of life sciences, including silkworm, are turning into biotechnologists. Like in any field of computer science, before a technology in the field of DNA marker is understood and put into practice, another simpler, more efficient, economical technology emerges. In this context, to keep up the pace with the technology, it has become necessary for the breeder to be familiar with the advancement in the field of DNA-marker technology.